Old gas stations

[2jakes]

The only place left around here to buy any Rexall products is the Dollar General stores which have seemingly popped up in every town of over 500 people in this part of the world. Dollar General is like the old local general store in a strange way. They are owned by people far away, but are staffed by locals you know and you can buy anything from cat food to condoms there.

I'm trying to visualize $1 condom display.
Probably located next to the first-aid & super glue aisle.

 

[3fingers]

I'm trying to visualize $1 condom display.
Probably located next to the first-aid & super glue aisle.

Ah, the name is a misnomer. 'Tis not a dollar store.

 

[ChiTownScion]

The Fair Store was a reasonably successful chain in the Midwest during the Era -- their flagship store in Chicago was responsible for putting radio station WMAQ on the air in 1922. In the cosmology of Golden Era department stores, if Marshall Fields was Chicago's Macy's, The Fair Store was Chicago's Hearns.

As a kid, Field's and the Fair were the best places to see Santa in Chicago in the 1960's. The Marshall Field Santa was hands down the classiest act in town, but the Fair always set up small carnival rides on one of their floors at Christmas time, and that was unique. A mini "Mall of America," if you will, long before the one in Minnesota existed. The Santas at Sears, Carson Pirie Scott & Co., and Wieboldt's didn't even come close. I can remember feeling sincere pity for the Santa at Carson's: he must have known that his Santa suit was only a half step above the ones that the Salvation Army handed out to their bell ringing winos, and that he could never match his wardrobe with the guy up State Street at Field's. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and he didn't deserve the card he was dealt.. at least in my seven year old world.

And among the Chicago department stores, Marshall Field & Co. had the largest toy department with the highest quality merchandise. Toys R Us, F.A.O. Schwartz, and other toy megastores eventually killed that golden goose, but it was always fun just to spend an hour or so looking around in the Fields toy department, even if Mom complained that the toys were too pricy. I always envied the kids from Winnetka and Wilmette, who I was convinced were going to get those gasoline powered riding Model T cars and hovercrafts on Christmas morning. No kid in my town was far enough up the food chain to even dream of such toys.

 

[BobHufford]

Further down, do you think that's an in-town Ford Dealership? I loved the feel of those versus today's gigantic car dealerships. Growing up, the town I lived in had an in-town (built in the '20s) Buick Dealership that, even before I knew why, I loved versus the modern late-'60s/'70s ones that were more common then.

This was the first Ford dealership I remember here in town. It was replaced in the mid-1960s with one out at the edge of town.

 

[2jakes]

 

[2jakes]

View of Apablasa Street in Chinatown circa 1920, looking east from near Alameda Street. Palm trees in planters are lined up in the center of the street, and a car is parked. Two-story brick buildings face the street. A sign at left is written in Chinese characters<WBR>. Later Union Station would be built here.

Banjo steering wheel!

Have one on my 1939 Ford truck.
Those windshield wipers are a joke, nevertheless,
I like that panel.

 

[2jakes]

1978. During my visit to LA. I climbed this hill.
For no other reason than I wanted to get a close-up look.
It was steep, but managed to reach the top. The “Land” letters
were gone. Up close it was in bad shape.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[David Conwill]

Here is a station in Texas, back in 1939. Fresh from Shorpy!

Somebody on Shorpy just pointed out the planter made from a Ford Model T gas tank. Great touch.

 

[3fingers]

This was the first Ford dealership I remember here in town. It was replaced in the mid-1960s with one out at the edge of town.

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This being a relatively rural area, our downtown auto dealers lasted longer than in some areas. In fact in smaller towns some remain to this day though the companies are trying their best to force them to either expand or get out.
Once the current owners retire, most of the remaining stores will close or be absorbed by a mega dealer, and it took multiple lawsuits by the owners banding together to get that small concession.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Here's a 1957 instructional film for Sinclair dealers on how to cultivate a good relationship with their customers. "This would be a good place for a Sinclair calendar!"

This was two years before the "Green Dinosaur in a trapezoid" logo ascended to dominance at Sinclair stations, replacing the 1930s-era "HC in a circle" sign.

 

[Fading Fast]

Here's a 1957 instructional film for Sinclair dealers on how to cultivate a good relationship with their customers. "This would be a good place for a Sinclair calendar!"

This was two years before the "Green Dinosaur in a trapezoid" logo ascended to dominance at Sinclair stations, replacing the 1930s-era "HC in a circle" sign.

"Pleasant" and "Maple" as the street names - ah, the BFM in the '50s.

As always, those type of films are horribly awkward and cringe worthy. The calendar bit at the end was just horrible in such a small way (although, I want that radio on the shelf in the barber shop).

And heck, if it's Sinclair and I don't get to see the dinosaur, I'm always going to be disappointed.

 

[David Conwill]

What does the H-C stand for anyway?

 

[LizzieMaine]

"High Compression," which was a big deal in the late twenties, when the brand was introduced. The Boys came up with all sorts of gimmick marketing concepts for gasoline during those years -- several brands, including Shell and Texaco, pushed hard for their "dry" gasolines, in such a way that the ads sounded more like they were promoting gin or ginger ale.

As for the film, I wonder what people would say today if a man in a gas station uniform drove thru the streets of Sunken Heights USA handing out free samples of handy oil to random householders.

 

[3fingers]

"High Compression," which was a big deal in the late twenties, when the brand was introduced. The Boys came up with all sorts of gimmick marketing concepts for gasoline during those years -- several brands, including Shell and Texaco, pushed hard for their "dry" gasolines, in such a way that the ads sounded more like they were promoting gin or ginger ale.

As for the film, I wonder what people would say today if a man in a gas station uniform drove thru the streets of Sunken Heights USA handing out free samples of handy oil to random householders.

I'm not sure that many would know what to do with a can of household oil if they had it.
I work in a municipal water plant. It is surprising how many adults call and request that we increase the temperature of their hot water or ask why we have shut off their hot water because all they have is cold. They are taken aback when we explain that we only provide cold water and that their hot water is produced inside their home. It is a widely known phenomenon in the industry.

 

[Fading Fast]

"High Compression," which was a big deal in the late twenties, when the brand was introduced. The Boys came up with all sorts of gimmick marketing concepts for gasoline during those years -- several brands, including Shell and Texaco, pushed hard for their "dry" gasolines, in such a way that the ads sounded more like they were promoting gin or ginger ale.

As for the film, I wonder what people would say today if a man in a gas station uniform drove thru the streets of Sunken Heights USA handing out free samples of handy oil to random householders.

So many things today feel creepy that felt normal back then. A random adult being nice to a child wasn't viewed with the suspicion we rightly (owing to the tail-risk bad things that we know can happen) view it with today.

I've mentioned before the local oil company where I grew up - Raritan Oil, they used to give out those calendars and, as crazy as it seems to our digital (and wealthier) world today, you were happy to get them (they gave out both desk and wall ones - the desk ones were on a cardboard base that you snapped into shape to sit angled up toward you on your desk).

This sadly is what's left of the once big and impressive Raritan Oil Company today (2nd generation beat it up /3rd generation killed it):

 

[LizzieMaine]

We always handed out calendars -- Texaco put out some very nice ones from the thirties thru the early seventies, but they discontinued the program around the same time the energy crisis hit. Free calendars went the same way as free road maps. I still have a good run of these calendars and re-use them whenever the current year matches one of the ones for which I have a specimen. "Compliments of C. E. Jackson Your Texaco Dealer Tel Searsport 9 The Best Friend Your Car Has Ever Had!"

 

[2jakes]

The Chinese restaurant in my area still
hands out free calendars.
They are very colorful. I've yet mastered
the art of eating with chopsticks.

Last time I took my truck for a tune-up,
they replaced the battery at no charge
for the replacement. This Mobil station
is the only one that still checks the oil
when they fill your tank. Something that
I took for granted many years ago,
now I think it's a big deal that I find myself mentioning it on the Lounge.

 

[seres]

...I work in a municipal water plant. It is surprising how many adults call and request that we increase the temperature of their hot water or ask why we have shut off their hot water because all they have is cold. They are taken aback when we explain that we only provide cold water and that their hot water is produced inside their home. It is a widely known phenomenon in the industry.

Are you serious? I ask because it's sometimes hard to tell a joke from fact on the internet forums.

But if it is true, our society has really "dumbed down".

 

[3fingers]

Are you serious? I ask because it's sometimes hard to tell a joke from fact on the internet forums.

But if it is true, our society has really "dumbed down".

Indeed I am serious. I never cease to be amazed by the publics ignorance of common things. I don't expect everyone to know everything, heaven knows I sure don't, but how does one reach middle age without having picked up some general framework of how things in our lives work? It isn't just hot water. There seems to be a feeling that if it doesn't affect me, I don't need to know about it and don't need to pay attention. Curiosity and common sense are most definitely on the decline. I don't mean to offend anyone here, because it is in no way universal, but being a university town does not help. A fair number of relatively intelligent people in their field could not change a tire or unclog the kitchen sink drain if their life depended on it. These are the same people who wrinkle their noses in distaste at those who can and do keep their civilized lives in operation.