When I originally wrote this post in September 2023, I had very little to go on in terms of the recently-vacated FedEx Office's history (and half the post was an apology to why the site hadn't been updated recently, complete with recent updates to show proof of work), but that's no longer the case.
The story of 509 University Drive goes back to 1972, when it was Cooley's Conoco Service Station. While it appears that there was an older building on site from aerials, this too appears to be Cooley's Conoco as newspaper records go back to 1957. I'm guessing the station was rebuilt around the late 1960s (which gives us the date of [1960s] for this post), but it's possible it was the early 1970s.
As of 1978 it was University Tire & Service Center and they moved out in the summer of 1980 (to 3818 S. College). by January 1982 it was Alfredo's Tacos Al Carbon. At some point they started advertising more menu items (including Papa's Pizza, a restaurant-within-a-restaurant), culminating at a point in 1985 where they were advertising as "Alfredo's / Papa's Pizza" and serving up hamburgers, fried chicken, and pizza. This disappeared around 1985 in favor of "Rita Street" by November 1986 ("Cajun Cookin' at its Best"), and by January 1987 it was Rocco's nightclub and restaurant (either Rita Street was short-lived or it was retooled). There was one reference to "Gringos" in 1988 (no, not the chain restaurant in Tower Point...and indications are Gringos was one of the shortest-lived restaurants in College Station operating for less than a month, though CALZ may have broken that record), and finally Kinko's in 1989 when it moved from 201 College Main. While it left an unused concrete pad in front of the store (likely used for outdoor dining at one time), it was extremely successful in the spot. Partly due to the business model and partly to the needs of Texas A&M University, this was open 24 hours a day (this wasn't even the case before 2020, and operated during only during normal working days). It was open 24H in 1999, and I'm not sure when it stopped doing so, likely changing under its new owner FedEx, which bought Kinko's and around 2004 converted the chain to "FedEx Kinko's". Sometime after 2008, this became simply FedEx Office. I'm not exactly sure when the changeover was, it seemed to happen gradually. Over at Columbia Closings, a site similar in scope to this one, theirs converted in mid-2010. Around early 2022, FedEx packed and moved to 711 University Drive East.
Since then, a restaurant/bar called Aki Sushi has been promised per filings but nothing has since come to the space (nothing on the exterior, anyway).
UPDATE 08-31-2026: Integrated the August 2024 post into the post as it was rewritten.
