Buc-ee's is a National Treasure. I don't think this fact can be argued.

Year after year, the legend of Buc-ee's continues to grow. There are people who have never been to Texas, that make it a point to hit as many Buc-ee's as they can the first time they crack the state border.

It's not just that Buc-ee's has great merch, fantastic service, or that they're very vocal about paying employees livable wages, it's that when you walk into a Buc-ee's it feels like everyone in their company cares. From the CEO to the cash register, everyone cares.

By the way, that "CEO", or owner, of Buc-ee's is the reason the stores are this way.

That owner's name is Arch Aplin III, or as he has been known for decades, Beaver. That's right, the owner of Buc-ee's is called Beaver.

But here's the thing about Beaver, his knowledge of how to many a successful store didn't come to him after he was bit by a radioactive beaver. He gained this knowledge of customer service through his family. Working in the store owned by his grandparents when he was young.

Where that store was located is the focus of our story. According to Texas Monthly, Beaver, the creator of Buc-ee's, learned how to run his stores in Central Louisiana. His grandparents owned a general mercantile store on the shore of the Ouachita River in Harrisonburg, the capital of Catahoula Parish.

Stories say Beaver would often try to run the cash register at his grandparents store in Catahoula Parish, but was always told he was too young. But he was able to find work in the store, from pumping gas to working in the isles. Beaver was absorbing the knowledge around him.

So next time you stop into your favorite Buc-ee's, remember that the seeds for the legendary pit-stop came from right here in Louisiana.

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