lEOfTORiT^
CES
; hnical Artie*
656
****£
NC. IBM «
^g' Persona]
Ramona til a
)ns . thesei, i
e( i on coma
46-1731.
deadlines. .^|
pens. 846-26U
rjjpx
orp. Can
— Paint™
motor
w INC.
erviceSincej
9- • 823-8111
tations, etc. OV
ty- 846-3755. ,
RIL14
hite female
-lano. Inquij&i
al attachmer.
193-2341,
Dst a wallet
, is request
Battalion, gw]
3 number,
^LE
neer with casal
Gas stations no more
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY. APRIL 24. 1980
Page 5
By DIANE BLAKE
Campus Editor
. wasteful age of throwaway,
^posable, no-deposit-no-retum ev-
thine a few local entrepreneurs
remember the old World War II
J | 0 g ani "Use it up, wear it out, make
^ And they’ve incorporated the mot-
into their commercial activities:
tradesfolk have transformed
useless old gas stations into thriving
Iciness establishments.
With a little imagination and a lot
of paint, area businessmen have
turned defunct petrol emporiums
into, among other things: a bar, gar
den shop, vegetable stand, dance
studio, car parts store, tire ware
house, and an auto repair shop.
.Another example of putting new
wine in an old bottle is located on
University Avenue.
Warren Grote and David Mog-
ford, Texas A&M graduates of 1977
and 1978, worked for IVz months on a
Phillips 66 station and in September
1979 opened the Thirsty Turtle.
Grote said the reason for the
change was two-fold: gas allocations
were tight at the time and the loca
tion was right for a bar. Nearby resi
dence halls provide a stream of beer
drinking customers.
Except for breaking two water
lines in the process, the two had little
trouble making the change, he said.
"We poured a new floor instead of
cleaning and leveling the old one,”
Grote said, and the only major addi
tion was a pool room out front.
City ordinances prevent further
expansion of the bar, he said.
Vegetables took the place of gaso
line at the Farm Patch a few years
back, and owner David Scarmardo
Businessmen transform former 'fill er ups’
credits strong drink for the conver
sion idea.
“I had too much to drink one
n *ght, Scarmardo said of his inspira
tion. “You know, you can think of a
lot of good ideas when you’ve had
one too many.”
Scarmardo said he worked on the
building off and on for two years,
putting a shed out front and fixing
up the inside. Further expansion of
the vegetable stand will be under
way soon, he said.
About three years ago Jan Jones
Hammond waltzed into an Exxon
station on South College and saw not
state highway maps and Ford gum
machines but her own dance studio.
And after a summer’s work she
opened La Petite Academy of
Dance.
We put in a new floor, changed
the storeroom into a dressing room,
put in a shower and closed in the
bay area with windows,” Hammond
'said.
But she doesn’t envision a chain
of filling stations turned dance
studios. If the business expands,
Hammond said she’d prefer to buy
an old church to renovate.
The main problem with the pre
sent building is lack of cross ventila-
ton: it only has two windows.
A drive down either South College
or Texas Avenue reveals a plentitude
of businesses housed in buildings
where petrol was once peddled.
The more obvious changes are to
automobile-related businesses offer
ing tires, mufflers, foreign car parts
and auto repairs.
But a former Arco station on Texas
shows that someone took the idea
and ran with it.
He operates a combination tire/
u
^ Dallas’ ‘best rock band’
FOUNO j to come to Basement
The Bee’s Knees, a pop-jazz band
from the Dallas-Fort Worth area,
will play Friday and Saturday nights
at the MSC Basement Coffeehouse.
Admission is $3.50 and shows start at
8p.m. each night.
The group was selected as the best
rock band in Dallas by the Dallas
Morning News. The Bee’s Knees
have served as an opening act for
such performers as Loggins and
Messina, Jimmie Spheeris, Cheech
and Chong, Linda Rondstadt and
Dr. Hook.
$50 each. CJH
Apartments • Duplexes • All Types Of Housing
Call for appointment or come by
A&M APT.
PLACEMENT SERVICE
693-3777 Iff
2339 S. Texas, C.S. M
Mil A
iLE
"Next to the Dairy Queen"
WELCH'S CLEANERS
ECEIVER
lannel and I
equalizer. |
ths old.
645.
ONE
HOUR
SERVICE
ME
he-914
30, 5-!
mpg.
call bade.
5886,
L
T
FREE
STORAGE A
A 2
A t
DRY CLEAHING
(TOWN & COUNTRY S
77 model-1
. Ask for 8*!
AKC-J200 E
6-4658.
mileage- >
le. Pickerel
2240 receiw' j
iwasala )(<•»
best ofr '
i
chambray oxford
cloth shirt... 28.00
< n m
matching chambray
pant... 38.00
v'
rr
If I
IT
/
Or*
*07 Texas Ave.
o
c-
l .w
s
^ 6964626
boot/appliance/car store all under
one old filling station roof.
T was one of the very few in the
very beginning to change service sta
tions into other things,” said Al
Gutierrez, owner of the House of
Tires.
Eight years ago he ripped out his
gas pumps and got into the tire busi
ness. Now he sells major appliances,
boots and used cars. And he brokers
new cars, making special orders to
Detroit. He also plans to add mat
tresses to his cornucopia within the
next two weeks.
Gutierrez studied electrical en
gineering at Texas A&M for three
years and has owned an oceanog
raphic company in Mexico, worked
for Lockheed and the National Space
and Aeronautics Administration as
an electronics technician, and work
ed for Texas A&M in oceanography.
Although Gutierrez has owned up
to six tire businesses of this type be
fore, he now runs only the one in
Bryan.
He said the conversion of the
building from gas station to tire store
was no problem at ail. “We don’t put
much into the building, he said. “We
just try to keep it painted and clean.
“People come to buy the product,
not the building. We keep a very low
overhead: our concept is merchan
dising. ”
Apart from the unorthodox com
bination of goods and an unlikely
structure to house them, Gutierrez’s
business is also distinguished by an
unusual sign out front.
Today it reads, “Do not doubt
Christ wants us to succeed. The cross
is proof enough. ”
Religious sayings such as this have
differentiated the store from others
like it since Gutierrez’s son died of
leukemia four years ago.
He said he had made a special re
quest over the radio for prayers
while his son was ill. On the day of
the boy’s death, Gutierrez posted a
sign thanking the community for
praying for his son.
The response to that sign was so
positive that he continued putting
religious messages on it, he said.
Gutierrez said he has lost business
because some people think he is a
religious fanatic, but he doesn’t care.
“It’s depressing that so many people
worry so much about money,” he
said. “I really don’t give a dam if I go
broke (because of the sign),” he said.
“And so it stays.”
LOST A BOOK
RIGHT BEFORE FINALS?
Lou Will Loan You One 'til You
Take Your ExamI And We’ll Buy
The Used Ones You Do Have...
LOU NEEDS
YOUR USED^^
BOOKS!
s’Loupors’p
BOOKSTORE
Northgate —
At the corner
across from the
Post Office
\i
S!
\\
IS
f!
>i
t *
!>
1 J0M
WHGHT WATCHERS
NOW
FOR *7
M
Includes registration and
first meeting fee
through May 17,1980
Of all th* w«ighl-lott programs in th* world, non« have
b**n more successful than the Weight Watchers program
We've helped more people lose more pounds than any other
plan.
If you're serious about losing weight, join Weight Watch
ers now Because with many ottier programs, all you lose in
the long run is time.
COLLEGE STATION
LUTHERAN STUDENTS CENTER
315 N. College Main
Theirs 5:15pm
822-7303
Weight Watchers
The Authority
Losing weight never tasted so good
The most successful weight loss program in the world.
Offer good only In area #37.
■-Q- 5,T7' , -T T, Xr*li-f i’*#-"'’?":* - 'r
^ Battalion Classifieds
Call 845-2611
Aggies, Keep Your Voice
a feoruntM
Strong In Austin!!!
SENATOR BILL
MOORE HAS REPRESENTED
YOU AND TEXAS A&M WELL IN
THE TEXAS SENATE... HE WILL
CONTINUE TO DO SO..
SENATOR BILL
MOORE, ’40, IS THE ONE
PERSON MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE DYNAMIC GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF TEXAS A&M
TO ITS PROMINANCE
AMONG THE NATION S COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
SENATOR BILL
MOORE
is Chairman of the prestigious and powerful State Affairs Committee. His
position helps him protect the integrity of the Permanent University Fund...
so vital to Texas A&M and its opportunity for educational excellence.
Senator Bill MOORE is a member of the influential Finance Committee,
the Legislative Budget Board and the Free Conference Committee, all of
paramount importance to Texas A&M since these committees have major
roles in financing Texas A&M and its activities.
SENATOR BILL
MOORE’S
leadership is responsible for establishing the Texas A&M College of
Medicine... the Institute of Comparative Medicine... the Sea Grant Program,
the Texas Veterinary Medical Laboratory... the Energy Resource Program...
Cyclotron Institute... the Texas Real Estate Research Center... and many
other programs which have been vital to the increasing stature of Texas
A&M University... Texas A&M today is Exhibit A to the dedication of
Senator Bill MOORE’S dedication and devotion to his Alma Mater and to
the youth of Texas.
GGIES
KEEP
SENATOR BILL
MOORE
WORKING IN THE SENATE
FOR YOU AND TEXAS A&M
Vote Moore
SATURDAY, MAY3
it
POL ADV PAID BY THE SENATOR WM T BfLL MOORE RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. PAUL ZUEHLKE.
JR . TREASURER. PO BOX 4227. BRYAN. TEXAS 77801