New Store Open in Tuscaloosa Building Closed Since 2011 Tornado

For the first time in more than 13 years, business is underway in the building on the corner of 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard which has been closed since it was badly damaged in the April 2011 tornado.

As the Thread has extensively reported, the long-empty Quik Mart on the corner in front of the Midtown Village shopping center was listed for sale in 2022 but those plans were put on hold when a small fire broke out inside the building.

Get our free mobile app

That drew the attention of the city of Tuscaloosa's code enforcement officers, who recommended the structure be demolished over a large number of violations there. Contractors spent much of 2023 getting the building repaired and repainted, and in January of this year, the city voted to dismiss their plans to tear it down.

Now at long last, a new store is open at 1500 McFarland Boulevard East called Roll Mart Convenience.

The store offers snacks and sodas, beer and wine, vaping products and cigarettes, Delta 8 and other legal THC products.

Staff said the shop is still being stocked and decorated and exterior signs are not up yet, but the store is open now.

For more coverage of restaurant and retail development in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.