B&L Gulf Ad – Sept 26, 1957

There's plenty going on in this festive grand opening ad for B&L Gulf that ran in the Lorain Journal on September 26, 1957 – 56 years ago today.

There's a nice photo of the owner/operators – Bill and Louise Edmiston – as well as a grab bag of graphics, including a curious "G•DAY" headline, a creepy stylized clown, and a more mainstream 1950s Gulf service station cartoon mascot.

Strangely enough, no free tumblers are offered as an incentive to stop in; instead, just some free POP with a fill-up (which is my kind of promotion), as well as balloons and lollipops for the kids.

The Gulf station was located west of Vermilion at Stop 131, West Lake Road. According to Drew Penfield's Lake Shore Rail Maps website devoted to Lake Shore Electric history, Stop 131 was at Sherarts Road, which was later renamed Coen Road.

I'm guessing the service station was on the commercial property on the south side of the road, kitty-corner from the trailer park (below).

Here's a closer shot of the building (the home of Ink It Press) at the location today. It's not hard to believe that this was once a gas station. Anybody know for sure?

Incidentally, as a postal worker once explained to me, West Lake Road is the designation given to the highway west of Vermilion, while East Lake Road (the road I live on in Sheffield Lake) is the name of the road east of Lorain.

Gee, after living on East Skyline Drive for years, I think it would have been nice to just live on plain old Lake Road. Oh well.