Grand Opening of Lorain's Most Modern Service Station – May 16, 1936

Nowadays when a new gas station opens up, there's not a lot of hoopla. 

Why? Because it's not easy to reach people any more in the traditional marketing methods. There's no newspaper that everyone reads in which to place an ad. There are still a few local radio stations (although WEOL is no longer over-the-air) so it's probably a waste of money telling someone in another city that a new station in Vermilion is opening up. There's no direct mail opportunity either, for the same reason – there's no definite audience to reach, other than the people who will drive by it regularly.

Thus the advertising is pretty much limited to a sign and some flags out in front of the station announcing its Grand Opening. At least, that's what I witnessed with our new Marathon station on US Route 6 last year. 

But in the old days, the Grand Opening of a new service station was a big deal, as we've seen in countless ads on this blog. There seemed to always be flowers and corsages for the ladies, as well as a variety of freebies and/or items that were free with a fill-up, including pop, tumblers, a sack of potatoes, balloons and lollipops, and whisk brooms.

And below you see yet another ad in my quest to document the Grand Opening of every service station in the Lorain area. It's for the Rogers Oil Company's New Fleet Wing Service Station at 5th Street and Reid Avenue. It ran in the Lorain Journal on May 15, 1936.

Surprisingly the half page ad doesn't include any giveaways. But it does boast that it is Lorain's most modern service station, with a "lubritorium with hydraulic lift," "a homey waiting room," "5 pumps to save you time and service your car better," and "a full line of finest accessories of course."

These days, a gas station is merely that – not a service station, since they offer no service. Unless you count a Beer Cave. 

But then again, a good friend of mine who worked for BP back in the 1980s told me that the company made their real money selling snacks and pop at their BP stations. I believe it – now more than ever.

Anyway, a service station on that corner is long gone – as well as the Sisters Chicken & Biscuits that was there briefly.

Here's the view from Sunday.