California retailer Ed Komski is hoping his fuel stop will appeal to trucks that jump off sand dunes and kick up dirt as they rip through racetracks in the desert. Quads, motorcycles, sand rails and anything else fueled by adrenaline are welcomed, too, The Barstow Desert Dispatch reported.
“We’re not a truck stop,” Komski told the newspaper. “We’re really trying to appeal to the action sports crowd.”
Xtreme Convenience, Komski’s store, will combine convenience store essentials — snacks, coffee, hot food — with the needs of those who like tearing through the desert for a weekend.
The store partnered with Monster Energy, an energy drink company and omnipresent sponsor and presence in the off-road community, Komski said. It will sell all of Monster’s drink products and gear as well.
In addition to Monster-logoed T-shirts and caps, Komski plans to sell off-road specific gear, helmets, gloves, goggles and more. The big draw, he hopes, will be a dedicated gas tank for high-performance C12 racing fuel.
“We are for the serious toy people,” he told the newspaper. “It’s the items they can’t find at Wal-Mart.”
It is an ambitious plan for the old Arco ampm on the corner of Lenwood Road and Commerce Parkway. The store has been shut down for four years, Komski said, and after about $2 million it will look nothing like it once did when it reopens on Oct. 1.
A designer from Monster has worked with Komski to mimic Monster’s look. A banner featuring Monster-sponsored athletes will run around the top of the inside walls. The store’s cabinets and counters will be wrapped in Monster’s digital camouflage, the same design as their Assault energy drink can.
The outside of the building will be black, green and white, the same colors as another variety of Monster drink. Giant LED displays will show video footage of dirt bikes, trucks and other action sports.
Komski told the newspaper he hopes the LED displays – the first in the Lenwood area and currently under consideration by Barstow’s Planning Commission – and a giant, red, retro looking rotating 76 ball will pull his clients off the freeway.
Barstow, Komski said, is the perfect location for such a store. Every weekend, off-roaders flock to Stoddard Valley recreation off highway vehicle area near Lenwood. Racecourses crisscross the area, and Komski, along with Monster, wants to bring more sanctioned events to Barstow. He admitted to exploiting Barstow’s abundance of open space.
“One thing that Barstow doesn’t have to invent is its ability to provide an off-road venue,” he said.
