Dive Brief:
- Shelee’s, a new travel center brand owned by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, made its debut in Coachella, California on Aug. 26, Gary Fletcher, executive director for travel centers for the tribe, said in an email.
- The 12,000-square-foot c-store includes a Kupi Coffee Shop, with a menu that includes hot and cold drinks to order, breakfast sandwiches, pastries and fried chicken. The tribe also plans to open a truck wash, truck repair facility and trucker lounge on the site before the end of Q1 2025.
- Shelee’s Coachella store is the first of four planned locations. The three upcoming sites will all be on Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indian Reservation land in California.
Dive Insight:
Shelee’s is currently the only convenience store banner for Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. The logo and name are directly tied to the tribe.
“Shelee is our spirited symbol inspired by Aya, the Desert Tortoise,” said Fletcher. “Representing the Chemehuevi ideals of enduring patience, survival, stamina and courage, Shelee embodies the spirit and sacred aura of the Chemehuevi people.”
In the forecourt, Shelee’s location in Coachella has 59 fueling positions, including 36 under the auto canopy and 15 appearing beneath the truck canopy.
Shelee’s held a private event for Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indian tribal members on Aug. 25, with a grand opening celebration to come later this year.
The other travel centers will focus more on cars and RVs, though the tribe is looking at potentially including high-flow diesel and truck parking at one of those locations, Fletcher said.
