A Trip to the Kwik-E-Mart
After reading Miss 604’s post about a promotion as part of the upcoming Simpsons movie to convert some 7-11’s into Kwik-E-Marts…and the fact that is was actually happening not too far from home (the only one in Canada), I decided I had to check it out.
As I was just about to leave, my friend Dave messaged me to tell me he had heard about the same thing on the radio and thought of me since I’m a big Simpsons fan. But he had heard that it wasn’t opening as a Kwik-E-Mart until tomorrow. Figured it was worth a trip to find out since it was a beautiful day for a drive out to Coquitlam. Plus I hadn’t seen Dave for awhile so he was going to drop by as well since he lived nearby.
When we arrived I noticed that the street sign was still a normal 7-11 sign but there was a cherry picker setup next to it so I was hopeful once we turned the corner we’d see a Springfield maintenance crew ‘Simpson-a-fying’ the store. No such luck but there was a lot inside and it seemed that they were in mid-transformation.
I took a bunch of pictures of just about everything Simpson related in the store until the manager appeared out of nowhere and politely asked me to stop….I complied because there wasn’t anything left to photograph. He then suggested I bring my camera back tomorrow when they are fully done converting the store over to a Kwik-E-Mart.
Unfortunately they had already sold out of the donuts that Homer likes but they had cookies that were similar so Stacie had one as you can see in the picture. There were a lot of people in the store just buying up the Simpsons stuff like Buzz Cola and KrustyO’s….I was disappointed that they didn’t (yet) have any Chutney Squishees.
One thing that struck me (and that others have posted about) is the lengths they went to do it right….it’s easy enough to slap a few posters up for a big movie but to transform an entire store to something as beloved as a Kwik-E-Mart is pure genius. I’m still debating if I’ll make the drive out there tomorrow to see the full conversion….probably since I’m such a big fan. If you want to make the trip to Coquitlam, the details are here.
Here’s the rest of the pictures I took before Chief Wiggum busted me (or larger version here and there is an ever growing Flickr set of the other cities getting the makeover):
Created with Paul’s flickrSLiDR.
Thank you, come again!
UPDATE: Went back to the Kwik-E-Mart today and it was fully transformed… and they did a great job….although I was bummed there wasn’t any ‘El Barto’ graffiti on the wall outside….big lineups to get in…you’d think they were selling iPhones or something. Added a bunch more photos to my flickr stream too.
Bonus Simpsons fun: if you haven’t already been, check out the Simpsons Movie site to create your own Simpsons Avatar!
UPDATE #2: Here’s a video of the CBC covering the event:
Crap! When I heard that they renovated one of the 711s in Canada I was soo sure it was going to be somewhre in Toronto.
BC’s gets all the good stuff that americans have. Kwik-e-mart, IHOP, etc.
That’s awesome, glad you made it there!
hahaha i watched you guys take these pictures! i’m so stoked we finally get something wicked! although i kinda wanna know why this one… the lady inside didn’t even know what was going when i asked her about it hahaha
Where is the Coquitlam location? I’m totally going to go there!
1198 Landsdowne St.
Coquitlam, British Columbia
(there is a link to the 7-11 Corporate site with the address in the fifth paragraph above)
This is totally awesome! Great pics!! So, where you able to get your hands on a radioactive pink icing donut?
No such luck with the pink icing donuts….but they should be available at any 7-11….as with most Kwik-E-Mart merchandise….it’s only this store (and 11 others) that got converted.
Drew,
Contrary to popular belief (in Southern Ontario anyway), Toronto is NOT the centre of the universe. IHOP is the good stuff? You can have it… along with all the Leafs fans you sent over here.
It was awesome. I didnt get inside because the line-up was around the block, but I took some pictures of the outside. I cant believe they actually got it to look like a cartoon. Im impressed.
I just cant figure out why the only one in Canada is in Coquitlam. Its so random, but I’m happy its there.
Its the craziest thing I have ever seen!
hahahaha that is wicked. i heard about it on the radio… looks like crazy fun. i love the Simpsons.
Tell me that they say: “THANK YOU COME AGAIN”!
I’ve said it sooooo many times already,
that for the rest of my ridiculous life,
I will never be able to hear anyone say the words, “thank you”
without having a very inconvenient Indian echo of “COME AGAIN!”
bouncing off the walls of what is left of my brain,
it’s almost impossible to stop myself from blurting it out loud.
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
thank you,
COME AGAIN!
The Kwik-E-Mart in Burbank created quite a stir. The crowds were incredible and the props were authentic. What a great idea.
Are there more Kwik-E-Marts planned in the future?