A little more than one year ago, Smiths Grove became the newest location for a Buc-ee’s mega gas station, a development some residents argued would make adverse changes to life in the quiet town.

Now though, many are receptive to the store — described at its opening as “American Capitalism at its finest” by one attendee — but some still have reservations.

As the wheels were turning toward the opening, some residents of the area were worried over the store’s impact on local life, namely from an increased volume of traffic coming off the interstate and altering what Mayor David Stiffey described as the “laid back atmosphere” of the town.

“Most of that is pretty much gone now, since it has been there a while,” Stiffey said recently.

Buc-ee’s opened its doors June 24 last year to a large gathering of fans, some of whom traveled from as far as Illinois for the opening.

The 53,000 square-foot, 120-pump store marked the second Kentucky location the Texas-based company opened, following a store in Richmond.

As the store was on its way into Smiths Grove, various steps were taken to address traffic flow. Traffic lights were installed on the ramps at the Interstate 65 interchange and a two lane roundabout was built next to the store along Smiths Grove Scottsville Road.

Jason Franks, chief of the Smiths Grove Police Department, told the Daily News traffic remains the primary concern for residents.

“A lot of folks are concerned that on the exit ramps, there wasn’t an additional turn lane put in on the exit ramp,” Franks said.

While traffic will occasionally back up on the interstate ramps near the store, Franks said the traffic has been limited to the Buc-ee’s side of I-65, having almost no impact to the exit on the downtown side of Smiths Grove.

He added that some issues have arisen with the traffic signs around Buc-ee’s not being read fully, further leading to traffic backups. Franks said his department has noticed an increase in other calls as well.

“With any new business, especially retail business, we’ve had more theft complaints, shoplifting calls, parking lot accidents, things of that nature, especially with that volume of vehicles coming in and out,” he said.

In all though, Franks views the store as having been a boon for Smiths Grove.

“It’s brought in a lot more folks here on this exit that normally would have probably bypassed us, and Bowling Green as well, and kept on going,” he said. “It’s good for the local businesses, it’s good for the surrounding area, and all in all, I think it’s been a positive for the community.”

Shelvie Payne feels this way too. Although she lives in Cave City, she has worked for almost three years at the Flavor Isle, an eatery in the middle of Smiths Grove.

Payne said when the news of Buc-ee’s expansion into Smiths Grove broke, she was initially skeptical.

“At first I was like … this is too little of a town, why mess this little town up,” she said. “A year later, I am grateful for it.”

Payne takes the interstate every day to get to work, and said traffic conditions have improved in the area from what she has seen.

“If I have to sit on that off ramp, it’s because of the light, not because of the traffic,” she said.

Winter is always a slow season at the Flavor Isle, but foot traffic increases with the temperature. By summer, it’s busy. Payne said all the folks coming through town to visit Buc-ee’s has likely led to a small increase in customers, even in slow times.

“I can’t see number-wise that it has brought a lot more … but this winter, I think it would have been even slower if Buc-ee’s wouldn’t have been there,” she said.

“We’ve had people from all around the world want to see our Buc-ee’s and then find us,” she said. “ … We have met a lot of people because of it,” she said.

Not everyone shares the enthusiasm about  Buc-ee’s.

K.O. and Waz Blankenship run Psycho Granny’s Quilt Shop in Smiths Grove, just across the street from the Flavor Isle.

When asked what they thought the impact of Buc-ee’s had been, K.O. said “negative, negative.”

While some folks were out on the sidewalks last week, the couple says that’s a rarity.

“Business is dead, nobody’s walking (through town), we can’t talk them into coming in,” she said.

Waz Blankenship said “Smiths Grove didn’t really have a choice” when it came to getting the Buc-ee’s. He said after it was built it ushered in a wave of development interest, something he is opposed to, such as residential projects and other business projects.

“They’re trying to make us Bowling Green,” he said.