AFTER 65 YEARS, WILSON SERVICE STATION CLOSING
LaFayette resident Dale Wilson was 12 years old in 1972 when, he says, he realized it was time to go to work and start helping his dad with the gas and service station he owned. His older brother, Steve (Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson), worked at the service station, too.
The boys pumped gas, checked oil and tire pressure and washed windshields for customers for about a dollar a day. As adults, both chose other career paths, but Dale Wilson returned to the service station in 1989 to help his dad, George, who retired in 1996 and passed away in 2011.
George Wilson opened the gas and service station in LaFayette in 1958. He rented the building and property from Gulf Oil and eventually bought it. It was the first gas station people encountered as they entered LaFayette from the north, located across the street from the Coca Cola plant.
The station was full-service from the start. Customers could fill their tanks, get new brakes or a radiator or starter or muffler installed — whatever was needed. They could also rent U-Haul trailers and trucks.
George worked long hours — 14 hours a day, six days a week. By going to work at the station, his sons gained not only time with dad but skills and lessons in character.
“Dad loved people,” says Dale Wilson. “He believed in service, honesty, fairness and building relationships.”
Wilson says those are the lessons his father instilled in him and his brother: those lessons and faith in God. “Dad made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”
Now, over 50 years later, the
local icon is closing its doors. But there’s much about it that will live on in people’s hearts.
The service station sold gas until two years ago when Wilson says regulations about tanks in the ground and pumps became too burdensome. But it never stopped working on cars or serving as a place
where people could feel at home.
“One of the things I’ll miss most about it,” says Wilson, “is the customers and the people who came to hang out.”
It was hangout from the start. Boys from the high school down the
street came after school to pitch pennies, drink Coca Cola and check the bottom of the bottles for town names to see how close the towns were located to LaFayette.
Wilson says the station has remained a hangout, “a place where men who need a break from life can come for 10 minutes or an hour to talk, drink Coca Cola and relax.”
“Every Friday,” says Wilson, “my employees and I clear a desk in my office and have lunch together. Sometimes some
of our hangouts join us, men ranging in age from 30 to 85. Last week we had eight people.”
“I’ll miss my employees, too,” Wilson says. “I have the best employees now and I’ve had a lot of great employees over the years — people who were good and faithful workers.”
What about once the station is closed — what will Wilson do? “Spend time with my children and my grandchildren. I have two grandsons and I have a granddaughter on the way. And spend more time with my wife. I want to devote time to my family.”
Wilson’s Google reviews say a lot:
“Dale is an absolutely
wonderful man. I trust him 1000% to take care of my car. Not only that, but to be totally honest and upfront with me about what he is doing. If every business was operated like Dale’s, the world would be a better place. I have often wondered how in the world he makes any money, because he always gives such fair prices.”
“Dale’s provides excellent service-big and small jobs. If you need work on your car you can absolutely be certain of honest and dependable service from Dale and his crew. I’ve used them for years and plan to do so for many more!”
“These folks are old school. True to their word,
hardworking and even when it means less money for them, they’ll tell you the truth. Never had a single complaint and wouldn’t go anywhere else unless it is something they don’t do. They are the definition of ‘neighbors.’”
Wilson Pure Services Station, located at 305 N. Main St., will be open until 5 p.m., Dec. 30. Will someone be able to get their car serviced on that last day? “If it’s something simple,” says Wilson. But everyone is welcome to visit.