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Construction on Retro Junction, a new convenience store celebrating the ‘50s and ‘60s eras, is nearly complete and a grand opening, which will welcome local hot rodders and city officials alike, is set for Sept. 17.

The Retro Junction will be reminiscent of the ‘50s, complete with a checkerboard floor and classic Coke-a-Cola and Pepsi memorabilia on the walls. Beyond the theme, Retro Junction will also have offerings not typical of your average convenience store, such as nostalgic candy choices and milkshakes available at the counter. A deli—complete with a 1957 Chevy windshield acting as a sneeze guard—will also be the prominent feature of the store.

John Shehadey and his sons Jim and Steve co-own between 20 and 30 convenience stores and gas stations throughout the Central Valley, but wanted to make this particular location unique.

“We all talked about it and we thought, let’s not make an ordinary,” John Shehadey said. “We want it to be something people talk about. We’re going to have ice cream and milkshakes and stuff you normally can’t get in a convenient store, old time candies and enough old stuff to think you’re not in a normal place — it’s all retro.”

Before being acquired by the Shehadey family, the location used to house an oil change company. Once they purchased it, John Shehadey said bringing in a Starbucks was a natural choice to occupy half the space and the other half gave him and his sons a place to get creative.

The spot, he said, is the perfect location for a ‘50s and ‘60s inspired store because the neighborhood serves an array of businesses, churches, schools and residents, which makes for an interesting mix of people. For the older folks, Shehadey said Retro Junction will obviously evoke nostalgia, but the younger generations will enjoy something fun and different as well.

“It’s like a homecoming for me, he said. “I graduated from Fresno High in 1957 and my classmates and I still get together and have reunions and they all like to go to these types of places. I think the young people will enjoy it too. The ‘50s and ‘60s were a good, happy time.”

Retro Junction’s grand opening celebration will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 17.