Nowadays, we don't have too many choices when it comes to big gas stations in the US: We've got Chevron(& Texaco), Shell, Exxon (&Mobil), Union 76, and the like. We've got independent gas shacks, but they're pretty much just a name out front... There... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Excellent! I was lucky to have grown up in a family that collected Gas and Oil signs and pumps on a LARGE scale.. We still have them. My Dad and I both are hand lettering guys, and advertising "fans" if you will... The old stations new how to slow ya down and take a look! Thanks for posting. J Shaw
I run a station in Sheridan, wyo that is independently owned by my father. Even though we really don't have any other options then to have our fuel be supplied by a major company, we try really hard to have a quality and service above and beyond the modern standard of fueling stations. This blog today was interesting because I always feel like we are the balance between the quality of old and the modern speed and convienence of today... and we have a kickass hand made wood sign.
Oh man what a time this was !! I particularly liked the GAS WARS !!!! I lived in a small town that was highly populated with Full Service Gas Stations and Liquor Stores galore !!! The signage was plentiful and very creative to say the least. Certain stations had the lolipop signs out front and these would keep getting closer to the street as bussiness heated up !!! >>>>.
I remember my folks collecting "Blue Chip" and "S&H Green" stamps. There were little books you pasted them in. You could redeem them for merchandise. We always went to the stations that gave stamps. COOL Blog!
Ever since I was a kid I have sworn that one day, when I build my Garage Majal, I will have a big old green Sinclair dino out front in the yard.
I miss Green Stamps and good ol Gas stations! There are still a few here, very few. We haul to many of the big and little ones. In reality all the gas is the same with each company having slightly different additives. Other than Exxon in our area you really don't know what brand gas you are pumping, regardless of the sign out front!
My parents had a lobster pound(seafood shop) up here in New England, It had a Gulf gas dock out back. Ive still got alot of gulf stuff. Much of it is targeted for the mariner, but I also saw alot of stuff geared for kids. I will see if I can dig some up.... Its too bad they had to sell it in the early 70s when you could barely sell gas and you couldnt give away lobster and fish! The store became a gift/antique shop that was used in The Witches of Eastwick, it was Chers' store. I believe the porcelain gulf sign is still on the back overlooking the water. Oh well, whats an inheritance worth anyway...
I miss all the fun stuff - Bazooka bubble gum for the kids, glasses / mugs, good service..... All gone, but not forgotten. I miss the smell of leaded gas, good old Fire Chief, Ethyl, etc.... And being 45 years old, I caught the tail end of the era of Burma-Shave signs. Hose operated driveway bells....
there is a 20's Chevron sign on a pole as well as the old gas pump still in place at an old gas station- post office - general store about 200 yards from my brothers place. he refers to this building as "down town" as there is nothing else out there other than sheep.
Well after the Green Stamps days, I owned a Texaco station in Reno, Nevada back in the mid 80's. Great links, thanks for sharing.
Jive-Bomber Jay - That's a cool website ... thanks for sharing. __________________________________________________ Most every cool old Filling Station in the Bay Area has been bull-dosed and/or rebuilt to "modern" standards & code compliance ... However, there's a small independent station on Main St. in Pleasanton, California that is still in operation toady ... Here's a "'50s reenactment" photo shot at that station (circa 1973): click thumbnail to enlarge __________________________________________________ Joshua Shaw - I have a very small scale collection of Petroliana: click thumbnail to open link Your LARGE scale collection of Gas & Oil signs and pumps sounds very cool ... please share some pics here ... or better yet, in the Gas pump pics thread.
That's what I like to hear... If I lived in your town I would go out of my way to support your station!
Yeah loved working at "Barney's Mobil"... "wash the windows,check the oil,check the tires...a dollar gas!"...Chuck Berry got it right!
The first shop I worked in was an old Marathon with two pumps outside, one service bay with an ancient drive-on lift, a tire changer, and a waiting area that was wide open to the service area and cash register. The pumps were taken out in 1992 and I left for greener pastures in 1993, but the old codger I worked for is still going strong in that building.
Worked at Rays Enco - then Exxon in Yorba Linda...Gas Stations on all four corners at rose drive and Yorba LInda BLvd. Very rare to see them now on all four corners.... When it got slow...we would kick beach balls across the boulevard to the shell station pump jockeys.......can I check your oil? We have a special on tires...balance...oil change? Now...The only time anyone comes out to the islands is when the computer satellite uplink has taken a dump....
Old gas signs are great, todays signage is crap! With all the great production technology we have today we could make some fantastic graphics. Advertising agencies of the teens to the 50s were on top of their game. With so many commentators most companies had to work just that much harder to sell their product. Here are a few killer signs from the 30s; these are 100% original in a friends collection. I will post some more cool gas signs when I get home. Enjoy
Of course, before that many were part of Standard Oil, which was broken up and turned into those regional outfits (Esso, Sohio, Socony, etc.). -Dave
Here's a classic from Oz. H.C.Sleigh marketed motor spirit from 1913. In those days fuel was sold in 4 gallon drums until the first Golden Fleece pump was installed in 1920. Sleigh pioneered the concept of single brand outlets in times when the norm saw multi-brand service stations throughout Australia. In 1947 H.C.Sleigh Ltd became a public company. In 1981 Caltex aquired ownership. http://home.austarnet.com.au/jamieson/goldenfleece.html
My dad always used to go to the Flying A station. I always liked that logo, so I try to collect them, unfortunatly, that stuff has gotten pricey! Here's a pump I restored. Here's a sign I found on ebay before I got it hung up.......
When we were heading west to California and started seeing "Two stiffs selling gas" and "Terrible Herbst" gas stations we knew we were getting somewhere..out of Texas...are those stations still around?
coming from a artist point of view it seemed like they really cared about luring the consumer eye in on the product with colors and art that was simple and effective. there's nothing more beautiful then gas station signs and advertisements from the early years. guess that's why we build and drive what we do and why this website is up because we strive for the simple life, the romance in the 50s and the quality and pride in craftsmanship there was, they cared about things material wise like cars and really capturing the customers trust in products such as cars and quality of gas and most everything for that matter. i guess we are apart of a culture that not just loves the cars of that era but also the life style. if the service stations now would go back to the "American" way of good ol timey i give a shit values and take pride in family ran businesses like service stations or hardware stores and actually SERVICE the consumer then maybe i wouldn't pass by my neighborhood gas station to fill up at another one. today's advertisements are dull, boring and beat to death. American businesses should take a look back at the old ways of doing things and ask themselves " what did they do to be so successful" not money wise but successful in putting the consumer trust in there product. i want to be able to have a neighborhood gas station where the locals like to drink coffee and hangout on sat mornings, where the employees know our names and our kids names, and we thought about hank at Christmas time that fixed the hole in my tire for nothing just being nice. we all have a saying about style and fashion that it always comes back around.....but i think the days of REAL service stations, beautiful signs, and good ol friendly hospitality is over. we will never see this type of lifestyle come back around. this is why i believe that us hot rodders do things and live the way we do.....we want all that back. so for that few hrs a night driving around in our classic cars or tinkering on them....we are in a dream of days gone by and forever lost. RIP 1930s, 1940s,1950s.
I worked at my Uncle's Sinclair station in the late 60s early 70's. I Met my wife there she was totin a chevy 348 head and her dad owned the local Napa store.....................double SCORE!!!
Joshua Shaw - I have a very small scale collection of Petroliana: View attachment 1095674 click thumbnail to open link Your LARGE scale collection of Gas & Oil signs and pumps sounds very cool ... please share some pics here ... or better yet, in the Gas pump pics thread.[/QUOTE] Didn't even know there was a thread! I'll post some pics when I get back in Cincinnati next week. Good looking pumps guys! J Shaw
I grew up in a small New Mexico town on Rt 66 in the 60s and 70s, worked at a Texaco and Standard Oil thru high school, down the road was a Sinclair gas station that had a big fiberglass dinosoar out front that stood about 15 ft high and about 20 ft long, biggest one I ever seen, dont know what ever happened to it.
Ya good times then. Look at what became of one old station. www.tacostation.com ........click on location history.
That's a cool website! I dig the Cosden police sign. OL55, nice job on restoring that pump! I've always liked the Flying A logo as well. I can't wait to see more of those 1930's neon gas sign....