Some c-store operators expand by building up—adding a second floor to an existing structure. Others expand out—building an addition or buying adjacent property.
Tucker Friedman’s expansion vision was unorthodox: Building his Henderson, Louisiana, c-store “out”—into the swamp, to become what the owners believe to be the first-ever “floating” c-store and restaurant.
As early as 2014, Friedman, the owner of Henderson’s Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Turtles Bar & Grill, imagined his c-store transitioning from dry land to the adjacent Louisiana swamp.
“My dad created multiple sketches over the years about how it could work,” said General Manager Christine Friedman, whose father still owns the store. “His vision was for a floating store because we needed a bigger facility as the business had grown. We had a growing c-store, bar/restaurant and then an airboat tour business to operate.”
On the effort to move the store to the adjacent swampland, which occurred in 2024, Friedman said: “Nothing like this had ever been built before, so a lot of permitting was required. We were ‘grandfathered’ in to expand it this way.”
The owners required that grandfather clause to move to water because Henderson is located within an environmental protection levee, and the city established a moratorium on new residential and commercial construction because of its location within a flood zone, Friedman said.
For the new version of Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Turtles Bar & Grill to come fruition, a host of approvals were required. “The municipality had to create new codes for this project, which had never been done before,” he said.
The team needed approval from the levee board and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as permitting for its sanitary sewer system, the hardest permit to obtain. “So while my dad developed this concept years ago, it took all these years later until it was finally completed, in March 2024,” she said.
Solving the puzzle
Today, the Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Turtles Bar & Grill, located off Interstate 10 west of Baton Rouge and 123 miles from New Orleans, has reinvented itself in a big way.
Friedman acquired the store in 1999. It was previously a marina and houseboat rental property. Offering solely boat fuel, customers can drive to the store and walk on ramps to the store, restaurant and airboat tours.
The 2,500-square-foot store—with a full footprint of 6,000 square feet—rests on plastic dock floats that were installed according to weight.
“There are different size floats for different weights,” said Friedman. “Everything was delivered like a puzzle. My dad, my brother Nick and our employees assembled it by section: they would float it out and then put another section together.”
Rebuilding the store with the help of staff and friends helped defray construction costs that would have been necessary by hiring a contractor to do the entire work.
Three-prong profit center
The business has three segments, all contributing to the bottom line. Son Nick Friedman oversees the swamp airboat tours, where, in the peak season, 12 boat tours are scheduled per day. The Friedmans invested in four airboats, and locals or tourists take the swamp tours to see alligators and other natural habitat.
The restaurant, Turtle’s Bar & Grill, see guests coming for cheeseburgers, shrimp po’boys, alligator bites, a popular “Fisherman’s Special,” and more.
The c-store business slows down after Thanksgiving, as do boat tours. “The c-store business picks up in February, around Mardi Gras time,” she said.
The store also sells tackle, bait and hunting accessories. “It’s duck season right now, and we sell a lot of bait,” she said.
The c-store does establish a new profit center during the Christmas holidays, where one-quarter of interior space is carved out for general merchandise and holiday gift items.
“It becomes a souvenir shop, where we sell gift baskets and Christmas tree ornaments—all with Louisiana vibes,” she said. “We have about three aisles devoted to general merchandise and holiday offerings.” Other general merch items include jewelry, alligator heads, magnets, dishware and wrapping paper.
As it heads toward its third year as a floating c-store, Friedman said he doesn’t anticipate any major strategic shifts for what has become a viable destination stop.
“The best part of the job is that we’ve been doing this for 26 years—and now have a new chapter to oversee with our floating store. What I love is that this store, restaurant and tour boat business are all part of our heritage, our culture—and we get to meet people who visit us from all over the world,” said Friedman.
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