[Simmesport, LA] (May 9, 2023) — Following 41 years of the Maddie family owning and operating Maddie's Truck Plaza, Tommy and Cindy Maddie are looking forward to a well-deserved retirement as they transition store ownership to the sibling co-owners of St. Romain Oil, to become the new home of Y-Not Stop Simmesport.
With Simmesport as their hometown, the Maddie family enjoyed serving other local families at the Truck Plaza, including Lucky Rose Casino. Over the years, Tommy, and his daughter, Natalie, developed passions for working with vendors to source the best varieties for their customers. This passion led Maddie's to earn the reputation of being the area leader in beer, wine, and spirits.
When the time came for Tommy and Cindy Maddie to plan their retirement, they wanted the store to continue to have a strong sense of family and deep ties to the local community. Maddie comments, "Todd and I went to school together. Mr. Edmond was always a family friend. We all go way back." Although the Maddie and St. Romain families have been competitors in the small town for decades, they've always shared a mutual respect and held each other in highest regards. "We are honored that Tommy and Cindy have entrusted our family to honor and continue their family legacy in Simmesport," says St. Romain Oil Co-Owner, Annie Gauthier.
The Maddie and St. Romain families have worked closely together to make the transition as seamless as possible for both their customers and team members and will continue to work together in the upcoming months. Maddie plans to stick around, stating, "I'll still be here every morning to drink my coffee. Coffee just doesn't taste as good at home, so y'all will still see me every day."
St. Romain Oil has offered all current Maddie's employees the opportunity to continue working at the store, in addition to all the current Y-Not Stop Simmesport team members who will be moving to the new location.
Since 1998, St. Romain Oil has served the Simmesport community at Y-Not Stop Simmesport, formerly known as Fast Break, located at 16137 Highway 1. This store, like all of St. Romain Oil's Y-Not Stop convenience stores, features Shell fuel, freshly prepared food, and a wide variety of snacks, beverages, and more. Through the years, the store has seen multiple remodels as well as the transition from the 2nd generation ownership of Todd and Sondra St. Romain to the 3rd generation of their children: Annie Gauthier, Nick St. Romain, and Zack St. Romain, who serve as Co-Owners of the 53-year-old company started by their grandfather, Edmond St. Romain in 1970.
"We're excited to bring together all the best parts of the two stores, and I'm looking forward to learning from Mr. Tommy, too," says Zack St. Romain, Co-Owner of St. Romain Oil.
"I'm proud to have good, native Avoyelleans carry on the business we've built to where it is today," says Tommy, "Cindy and I would like to thank the Simmesport community, our employees, and our loyal customers for all the years y'all have given us at Maddie's. But, it's time to move on into retirement and focus on our children and grandchildren."
QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSITION?
- WILL THE STORE CONTINUE TO HAVE A GREAT LIQUOR SELECTION?
- Yes! Our goal is to merge the best of both stores together, to create a place that both of our regular customers will enjoy. With Natalie Maddie Lemoine joining the St. Romain Oil Team as the Age-Restricted Category Manager, and Tommy Maddie generously offering to assist through the transition, we look forward to learning from their expertise in the liquor category.
- WILL THE STORE BE OPEN 24/7?
- WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OLD Y-NOT STOP SIMMESPORT?
- The store will be closing permanently after Tuesday, May 9. After making the necessary modifications, the building will be available for lease for other business opportunities.
- WILL LOCAL BUSINESSES STILL BE ABLE TO USE CREDIT ACCOUNTS?
- Yes! We have a great local credit program that allows for customization. Customers with current credit accounts will receive the details in the coming days.
TIMELINE & HISTORY OF MADDIE’S
- 1973 - Frank & Gladys Maddie opened Maddie's on Highway 1, following their move from downtown Simmesport after the opening of the new Atchafalaya bridge which diverted traffic.
- 1982 - Tommy Maddie purchased the business from his parents.
- 2000 - Maddie’s officially became a Truck Stop.
- 2001 - Rosie T’s Restaurant and Lucky Rose Casino Opened.
- 2002 - Long time employee of Maddie's, Derek Moreau, purchased the auto parts store adjacent to Maddie's.
- 2010 - A catastrophic fire led to a total loss of the convenience store, D&M CarQuest, and the attached apartment Frank and Gladys resided in. The Maddie family persevered through the tragedy, operating out of a mobile building while the brand new store was built.
- 2011 - Maddie's and D&M CarQuest reopened in the brand new building, where both businesses reside today.
ABOUT ST. ROMAIN OIL
St. Romain Oil is a family-owned convenience store and wholesale fuels company, proudly and locally operating for three generations since 1970. Our mission is to refuel and refresh the communities of Louisiana, surprising our customers' appetites with fast, freshly prepared food. Our long-term vision is to maximize our community impact, by sustainably growing our premier chain of Y-Not Stop community stores alongside enthusiastic, professional team members who provide safe, clean, friendly & efficient services to customers.
Website:
www.ynotstop.com
