Three Bears Alaska — a grocery store, gasoline and pharmacy chain — will be putting a pause on its expansion efforts in Cooper Landing, the company’s marketing director, Jim Kolb, said Tuesday.

The company had purchased 13 acres of property in Cooper Landing off the Sterling Highway and had estimated it would open in the spring of next year, according to KDLL.

Kolb said the company still owns the property in Cooper Landing, but has put the project on the “back burner” for the time being. It will likely be a few more years until Three Bears opens its doors there, Kolb said.

Instead, Three Bears is focusing on other projects.

Kolb said the plans for opening a store in Sterling, fully equipped with groceries, liquor and an Ace Hardware, is underway.

Three Bears is constructing a brand new building near Sterling’s post office. Kolb said the company hopes to have it finished by the end of this year.

Three Bears isn’t only interested in catering to the tourists with their stores: “We’re building it for the local community,” Kolb said.