The fate of the store, once a post office and a restaurant but closed for several years, has been the subject of a long-running dispute between the Wawa chain and some neighbors and preservationists because Wawa wants to build a 12-pump gas station and store on the site.

Wawa has been trying to build on the site since 2001, but nothing has happened because of local opposition and environmental concerns over a stream there that brought the Army Corps of Engineers into the dispute.

Claudio DiGiamberardino owns the store, located at the intersection of Route 322 and Bondsville Road, and the 1.4 acres of land surrounding the structure. He currently holds a demolition permit for the property and his attorney, Louis Colagreco, says he is willing to sell to Wawa.

The latest wrinkle in the saga is a proposal that the General Store building be put on the market for several weeks - how long is yet to be determined - to see if anyone other than Wawa wants to buy it, restore it and operate it.

Wawa spokeswoman Lori Bruce declined to say whether the company would continue to pursue the General Store if someone else made an offer to buy and maintain the building. She added that in the past no one had come forward and offered to buy and preserve it.

Everyone involved in the issue will put their cards on the table at a Tuesday meeting called by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The invitation-only session will be held at the East Brandywine Township building to discuss the recommendation of a marketing period for the property, made by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a federal agency whose role is, well, advisory.

A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District, Khaalid Walls, said Tuesday's meeting would focus in part on the recommendation of an eight-week marketing period for the property.

"No final determination has been made on the marketing period. We have a recommendation from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and we are considering their comments," Walls said.

East Brandywine Township Manager Scott Piersol said the corps might also decide at the meeting whether or not to issue a permit to move an existing stream that runs through the property.

Neighbors Deke and Bill Inslee own three buildings next to the General Store and do not support the demolition plans.

"We'll live with it one way or another. This could have the potential to be great if they took the General Store and gave it a secondary use," said Bill Inslee.

Wawa's Bruce said in a written response that after a structural assessment of the building, Wawa estimated it would cost about $500,000 to renovate or relocate it.

"Wawa was ready and willing to fund a portion of that expense to save the building, but no other individual or entity [including any of the entities that are now part of the Corps of Engineers process] were willing to join Wawa in that endeavor," Bruce wrote.

According to Wawa's Bruce, feedback from the community throughout the design process prompted aesthetic changes such as landscaping, brick pavers, a stone building, an A-frame canopy over the gas pumps, and Colonial light fixtures.

"These features are not part of the standard Wawa store design but are being incorporated into this particular site so that the store will complement rather than contrast with the character of the Village," Bruce wrote.

Bill Inslee, however, said Wawa's plans do not fit the context of Guthriesville.

East Brandywine Historical Commission chairman John Black and member Linda Morrison want to preserve the structure and said the General Store and surrounding historic buildings provide a glimpse into the history of 1800s Guthriesville.

"There has been a lot of frustration with how the process has been going so far," Black said.

A spokesman for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Bruce Milhans, said the purpose of the council's recommendation is to allow adequate time to find parties willing to rehabilitate and preserve the structure. Milhans said that as an advisory board, the council does not advocate a specific outcome.

"Our purpose at the Feb. 5 meting is to further the consultation and get everyone to sit down and try to find an agreement on the best way to handle this."

Attorney Colagreco said that at this point he and his client, DiGiamberardino, are hoping for a quick solution to come out of the meeting.

Colagreco said certain groups involved had told DiGiamberardino what to do with the property but no one offered to help pay for insurance or upkeep of the building.

"The process is certainly extending way too long. It is frustrating to be told what do to with your property when you have to bear the economic consequences," Colagreco said.