Bair’s Grocery to close as Springfield’s fourth Eagle Stop opens

Last edited 4 p.m., Sept. 2, 2015

A south Springfield intersection with a heavy convenience store presence is switching up as one opens and another exits after the move of a Kum & Go.

Bair’s Grocery, 5419 S. Campbell Ave., is slated to close Sept. 12, a store employee confirmed this morning. Tom Hancock, owner of the Conoco-branded store, was unavailable for comment by deadline.

At Campbell and Plainview Road, Springfield’s fourth Eagle Stop is scheduled to open by Oct. 1, said owner Edward House, who also owns a Springfield store at 2785 W. Highway O and one each in Edgar Springs and Lebanon. Eagle Stop stores at 820 E. Battlefield Road and and 2959 N. Grant Ave. are operated by Eldon-based parent company Gier Oil Co., House said.

House said the 3,000-square-foot station, 5384 S. Campbell Ave., is taking over a former Kum & Go, which last year built a $4.1 million store across the street.

House said he signed a 10-year lease with five-year renewables until 2025 for the property in May. According to the Greene County assessor, the 0.6-acre site is owned by John Milton Wasson Jr., in care of Avtax, which lists a Tulsa, Okla., address.

House said the seven-employee store would feature a new walk-in beer cave, other cosmetic changes, new gas pumps and a new canopy. The underground fuel storage tanks were replaced this weekend.

The store would be Gier Oil Co.’s 42nd Eagle Stop location.