Buc-ee’s opened its first Ohio location less than five months ago, but that excitement looks to have waned with the Texas gas station chain going after a local mini-mart that’s been a staple of Beavercreek, Ohio, for years.
Earlier this month, Buc-ee’s put out a press release regarding a lawsuit against Beaver’s Mini Mart, which bears a beaver logo on its storefront. The lawsuit has drawn outrage against Buc-ee’s and support for Beaver’s Mini Mart.
According to the national travel centers chain, Buc-ee’s first learned about Beaver’s Mini Mart in October 2025 when the owner of the mini-mart made a trade name filing in Ohio.
“Buc-ee’s made a final attempt to contact Mr. Boparai by having correspondence delivered in person to his store on June 11, 2026 at 1:05 p.m. and still received no response. At this point, Buc-ee’s filed the original complaint in federal court. The mayor of Huber Heights, Jeff Gore advised that Mr. Boparai owns more than 20 convenience stores in Ohio,” the Buc-ee’s statement continued.
Since becoming public, many across the country have come out in support of Beaver’s Mini Mart on social media.
Brooke Smith, of Brooke Finds Local, posted three videos on social media about her experience with the store.
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Smith told the Daily Signal that there has been a sentiment of “a community rallying around one of its own,” with businesses from other parts of Ohio traveling hours to the area to show support. “That demonstrated to me that the story was resonating well beyond the immediate community,” she said.
Smith’s experience was more than just supporting local businesses, though.
“My biggest takeaway from spending time in Beavercreek was seeing how the community turned its support for Beaver’s Mini Mart into action. It wasn’t simply people saying ‘support local.’ Community members and other small businesses actually stepped up to help provide some of the same types of products and experiences people associate with Buc-ee’s—BBQ, pies, ice cream, merchandise, and more—right there at Beaver’s Mini Mart,” she said.
One of the local businesses supporting Beaver’s Mini Mart is Cincy Shirts. Darin Overholser, the owner of Cincy Shirts, told the Daily Signal that the shirt his company designed in support of the Beavercreek store is being purchased across the country and beyond.
“The Beaver’s Mini Mart campaign has been a great success, and we’ve shipped packages all over the world,” Overholser said. “The shirt has sold a few thousand units, which has blown us away. It’s been fun to see the support for a small business needing legal help, which most local budgets can’t cover.”
Although Beavercreek Mayor Don Adams would not comment on the litigation, he said he does support the beaver symbol.
“The city is aware of the situation between Buc-ee’s and Beaver’s Mini Mart, but will not comment on the pending litigation,” he told the Daily Signal. “What I will say: the beaver has been woven into the identity of Beavercreek for over 200 years, giving our city and Township their names and serving as a symbol our residents and businesses take pride in. Beavercreek is proud of its small business community, and I remain firmly committed to supporting our local businesses as they continue to serve our residents.”
Gov. Mike DeWine told reporters recently that he hopes Buc-cee’s will back off. “They need to dismiss this lawsuit. This is ridiculous,” the governor said at the Ohio State Fair. “It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake. You expect to find in Beavercreek things named ‘beaver.’”
The story also garnered attention outside of Ohio, including from national outlets.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” also mocked Buc-cee’s for going after smaller companies. Beaver’s Mini Mart is not the first to face a lawsuit from the Texas company.
The fight between Buc-ee’s and Beaver’s Mini Mart has been regarded as something as a David-versus-Goliath story.
Smith spoke to how people feel about whether small businesses can fight back.
“I do think situations like this naturally raise concerns about the resources available to a small mom-and-pop business when it finds itself in a legal dispute involving a much larger company,” she said. “Regardless of the legal merits of any particular case, there is an obvious difference in resources between a large corporation and a small independent business. I think that imbalance is part of why this story has struck such a nerve with people.”
Ohio’s Buc-cee’s is located in Huber Heights. The mayor, Jeff Gore, addressed the matter in a Facebook post, writing, “Think what you want, act as you will, but there is definitely more to what’s been happening than just Buc-ee’s deciding to sue a mini mart in Beavercreek. We are a country that likes to jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts.”
“[Buc-ee’s owner] Mr. Aplin told me directly that Buc-ee’s had no issues with Beavermart using the Beaver logo in Beavercreek. He understood and said that makes sense. What Buc-ee’s did not want was a series of Beavermarts popping up across the state or regionally or eventually nationally that violated their trademark,” the Huber Heights mayor added in his Aug. 7 post.
Aplin spoke to WHIO about how he takes “no pleasure” in the lawsuit but felt there was no choice after the companies failed to communicate.
Neither Buc-ee’s nor Beaver’s Mini Mart responded to the Daily Signal’s requests for comment by the time of publication.
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