What does the inside of Ohio's most-talked-about corner store look like after it was hit with a federal lawsuit over its logo? The Enquirer visited to find out.
Beaver's Mini Mart in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek, Ohio, has gained statewide and national attention this week after Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit over its similar beaver logo. The lawsuit has received sharp backlash from the local community and other small businesses as they support the corner store's use of its logo.
The Enquirer traveled about 60 miles north on Aug. 5 to check out what Beaver's Mini Mart has to offer, as well as how the spotlight has impacted in-store traffic.
Why is Buc-ee's suing an Ohio mini mart?
Beaver's Mini Mart has no gas pumps and is miles from the nearest interstate,
but according to a federal lawsuit, Buc-ee's says its customers may be confused by the mini mart's logo, which features a smiling beaver standing tall next to the store's name in a red-letter font.
Vik Boparai has owned the mini mart for more than a decade, years before Buc-ee's first expanded out of Texas in 2018 and long before it opened its first Ohio store north of Dayton in April.
Boparai says the store has used its logo since it first opened, and its beaver theming falls in line with numerous other businesses across Beavercreek.
This latest lawsuit is one of many Buc-ee's has filed over the years against businesses it claims has logos too similar to its own. In February, the chain sued the owner of the Ohio gas station chain Mickey Mart, claiming its smiling cartoon moose was too close to its ballcap-wearing beaver.
Enquirer reporter David Ferrara contributed.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Take a look inside the small Ohio store being sued by Buc-ee's
