The C-Store

Back when I was a little girl, the place we purchased our gasoline was called a "filling station". Teenage boys would come out to your car, pump the gas for you and wash your windshield. If you asked them, they would check your oil and tire pressure, too. For free.

Over time, the filling station morphed into the convenience store or c-store.

Those have even changed in the last 10 years or so, with the large company stores like 7-Eleven,
Raceway, Pilot, etc. taking over the larger part of the market.

In the beginning, the filling stations transformed themselves into Mom and Pop independent c-stores. They have almost disappeared. Driving off the interstate on my vacation, I was reminded of some of the unique names these business used to emphasize their "quickness" and "speed of transactions". I should have written them down.

Here are a few examples:
Git-R-Done
Gitter-Done
Tote-a-Poke
Green Hornet
The Happy Hog
Git 'N Go
Gas 'N G0
Stop 'N Shop
Sack-A-Pack

Anyway, you get the idea. Do you have any unique c-store names in your area? Please share!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jazz Depot- I still don't get that one???

Joan said...

This one is in Nebraska, made my Texan husband laugh - "Pump and Go"
Some others I can remember are:
Pump n Pantry
In & Out
Quick Stop
Quik Pik
Fill & Food
Kwik Shop
and last but not least (for real)
Kum & Go


I can remember when gas was 25 cents. Does that make me old?

Jules from "The Roost" said...

Stop & Go, Speedy Mart......The name Getter-Done really drives me crazy :(

Tammy said...

I went to a small women's baptist college here in a VERY SMALL Alabama town, and we had a Stop and Shop. However, we called it the Stop and Stab. Sad but fitting.

True story: just yesterday a few of us "oldies" were telling this little early 20 something year old about getting your car filled by actual people at the filling station. She said, "Wow".

Anonymous said...

there's nothing around here like that, we are totally chained-out. But on the way down to my mother in law's house, there is a place called the get-n-zip. It always cracks us up, the name. I don't know why.

Anonymous said...

While visiting a friend in Virginia, they had a Bo's Belly Barn.
Alas, they have gone out of business.

Alicia said...

Let's see, we have:
Pennywise
The Pig in the Pot store (don't ask)
Swifty

PS. I see you've changed things up a bit. I like it!!!! It looks great!

CoftheU said...

There is one between Duluth MN and Minneapolis on I-35 called "Pump 'N Munch". I'm not making that up. My husband and brother and sister giggle every time we see it going to or from my parents house to the airport.

Michelle @ Sew-Krafty said...

The only funny named c-store here is the Hoggly Woggly...I'm assuming they're goin' for the Piggly Wiggly thing, but that's a grocery store. Oh wait, Stop N Go, for got about that one (for good reason).

Alicia said...

WHOA, Mimi!!!! I leave you alone for a couple of hours and look what you have done!! That's quite some blog remodeling. If only we could remodel our rooms this quickly. I LOVE it!!!!

Jen said...

Quik Stop
Food Fast
Kum and Go

(East TX)

Love the new look!

Jen said...

Mimi! I love the new look!

Can't think of a store around here right now -- but I'm sure I could come up with one if I could ever leave my house.

Maybe tomorrow. My ego is ouching from my rant today too!

xox

Heather said...

Nothing. It's all the same ole. Texaco, Marathon, Shell..Boring.

Back in the 70's, my grandparents owned a service station, and my dad was the one that filled the gas. I think he did some mechanical work, also.