CENTER CITY, PHILADELPHIA – After school on Friday, December 2nd, many Friends Select Upper School students started their journey to Wawa to acquire snacks before the Varsity Girls Basketball Game. When they arrived, the location on 17th and Arch was being guarded by police and employees. 

Two such students were Lena Kinser ‘23 and Gigi Malfitano ‘23. Gigi expressed confusion regarding the scene. “When I looked inside the Wawa, it was empty except for a circle of employees near the registers. There was a cop right by the circle.” 

When customers tried to go in, they were shooed away. “I was disappointed to see that I couldn’t go and get a snack before the game,” Lena remarked, “and I was concerned for the fate of after school snacks. I saw employees taking food off shelves and getting out trash bags.”

Police officers and store employees declined to comment on why the location was closed. “There’s no telling when they’re gonna reopen,” shared a police officer outside the building. 

At the time of writing, the official Wawa website lists the location nearest to Friends Select as 2131 South Street. What will be the fate of the beloved 17th and Arch St. Wawa?