Do you think about the design of gas stations and convenience stores? Someone is. All things being equal do you reward a cool environment with your patronage? I sure do and I think a lot of people do too. It's the difference between your favorite Starbucks where a comfortable chair or a good table await your lingering and purveying and a fast food restaurant where the colors and hard seats invite you to do your business, scarf and skedaddle.

What if the environment of your goods, service or experience didn't suck? You'd attract the eye and the wallet of potential customers. Welcome to the concept behind Fuel Warehouse a new design centered concept in the convenience/gas retail market.

The award wining design of the building is the story here. Realizing that they are in a commodity business (retail fuel) Mallard Oil decided that design and experience would be their differentiator. Faced with competition from Wal-Mart and other low cost players Mallard figured that a superior design, a superior product and service mix and the resulting superior experience would attract customers.

The design, by local North Carolina architectural firm FBA Architects, features a vernacular design language of the rural and military base context. The Quonset hut inspired structure also features a color palate evoking the local tobacco crops.

Inside a wider selection of up scale products, seating space and free Internet access combine to create a winning experience for customers. According to Randy Goodsell general manager for Mallard Oil:

"We have a local antique car club and they have started using Fuel Warehouse on Sundays as their meeting point. At these meetings, they also buy coffee, soft drinks and products from the store."

Has anyone alerted Meetup.com about this.