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Andy Todd enters the new Toad’s Cove building on Friday. The store, which was destroyed in a fire in 2023, will reopen in mid-May.
Starting later this month, Centerville will once again have a convenience store open and ready to welcome customers.
Toad’s Cove has risen from the ashes after it burned down May 26, 2023.
“We’re back better,” said Andy Todd, who has owned the business with his wife, Tracy, for 18 years.
The new beer fridges are ready to be restocked at Toad’s Cove.
The store is expected to reopen in mid-May, with a grand opening planned for Memorial Day weekend.
Customers and staff can expect an improved experience in the up-to-date, toad-themed convenience store, said Andy and Tracy.
While people can still expect the same atmosphere and food options, like the store’s popular ice cream, they can also look forward to gourmet popcorn, a self-checkout option, fresh ice and more.
Additionally, the store’s drive-thru option has returned, but this time it is more easily accessible on the side of the building instead of on the front.
“It’s just beautiful in here,” Tracy said about the store.
She thinks customers will experience a wow-factor when they enter into the new Toad’s Cove.
Jennifer Dodson, who lives near Toad’s Cove, is one of the many Centerville residents who frequently visited the business before the devastating fire last year. She recalls visiting nearly every other day for groceries, snacks, alcohol, ice cream or gasoline.
Andy Todd and Tracy Todd stand in the entrance of the new Toad’s Cove on Friday.
Toad’s Cove has long been a staple in her life, as she remembers stopping at the gas station ever since she was a child when she would travel through Centerville to go to races in Fountain City. The importance of Toad’s Cove in her life heightened when she and her fiancé moved to a home behind Toad’s Cove in 2022.
Dodson, like many in the community, have felt the impact since Toad’s Cove was destroyed.
“Without Toad’s up and running, our neighborhood is in an instant food desert,” she stated. “While we do have farms around the area that provide produce and other products, they don’t provide everything that Toad’s does. If I need the staples, a quick bite or that treat, I’d have to travel to the surrounding communities for those needs. I’m so grateful that they are there, but I miss Toad’s Cove and their convenience of being so close.”
In her backyard, Dodson has had a front row seat to the reconstruction of Toad’s Cove.
“I am beyond excited,” she stated. “They’re coming back even better than before.”
The only downside to the construction process has been the lights from behind Toad’s Cove making her backyard be “lit up like a ballpark.”
Construction crews have pushed to meet a deadline set by Andy and Tracy shortly after the fire to reopen within a year.
Dodson said she’s excited for the reopening.
“Andy and Tracy provide an invaluable service for our community here in Centerville, and I am so grateful that they have chosen to rebuild,” she said.
Dodson plans on being at Toad’s Cove the first day it opens, and she looks forward to seeing the business’ staff again and enjoying another ice cream cone from the store.
Employees are also a priority for the Todds, as the new facility design has offered opportunities to make their employees’ jobs easier. The new Toad’s Cove includes a better kitchen, machines to help with sweeping and mopping and other improvements to benefit those who work there.
Extra cameras have also been added to help employees feel more secure in the store.
“If the employee is happy, what’s that going to do? It’s going to make the customer happy,” Andy said.
Customers will see many familiar faces when they stop in at the new Toad’s Cove, with the return of four employees from the old store. Four new employees have also been hired at the store.
Andy and Tracy still plan on being there every weekday and sometimes on the weekends, too, they said.
The duo considered hiring a manager before the fire so they could have more time away from the business, but the past year’s events made them realize they would rather remain involved in the day-to-day operations.
The construction process had few hiccups, the Todds said.
Andy remembers telling the contractor at the start that they were going to do a prayer and that things would go perfectly as planned, even though the construction was going to mostly take place in winter.
“Everything fell into place. You’ve got to give it to God,” Andy said.
Andy and Tracy never lost their faith in God, even right after the fire, they said.
“We’re people of God, so everything is for a reason,” Andy said.
Together, the couple is ready for the next chapter of Toad’s Cove and what the future holds for the business.
For updates about Toad’s Cove and its reopening, people can visit the business’ Facebook page.
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When fire destroyed Toad’s Cove convenience store in the Centerville community in Trempealeau County, owners Andy and Tracy Todd pledged to re…
Centerville, Wisconsin Toad’s Cove convenience store owners Andy and Tracy Todd say they hope to rebuild and be back up and running as early as May.
The Toad’s Cove, a gas station in Centerville, was up in flames Friday night.
Andy Todd and Tracy Todd stand in the entrance of the new Toad’s Cove on Friday.
The new beer fridges are ready to be restocked at Toad’s Cove.
Andy Todd enters the new Toad’s Cove building on Friday. The store, which was destroyed in a fire in 2023, will reopen in mid-May.
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