Dad took over operations from gramps in 1978....even though gramps and grandma continued working at the truckstop until, well, pretty much until they died. Dad instituted a few changes related to personal convictions. We would no longer be open on Sundays or sell tobacco products, and the juke box was gone. We also were no longer open 24 hours a day and closed Saturday nights.
In 1981 Garners had another expansion for seating, nearly doubling the capacity. It was at this time the building took on its final appearance, clad in brown brick with a more formal appearance in the dining area. This ushered in a time of significant increase in business and profitability. 
By this time work was really becoming work for me....and thankfully earning more than a buck. I continued dish washing, cooked at the grill and pumped gas after school and during the summers. We had some great employees. Four employees had worked for us for 15 years or longer. One had been with us for 25 years.
And our customers were great people too. We had "the regulars" who were people from the area that came in at least 2-4 times a week and we had "the locals" who came in every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day. Several farming families would come in for coffee throughout the day, and then some for supper at night. The locals were a great group that gathered around one large table. These folks were involved in several trades, but were either volunteer or related to volunteer firemen. It wasn't unusual to fix their breakfast and have to put it back to keep it warm while they went on a call. In fact, in the last several years, the locals would usually "let themselves in" on Saturday mornings since we opened a hour later and get the grill started and the coffee going. I remember once that mom was out of town and the cook who was supposed to come in on Saturday morning didn't show. This left Art in a panic as folks started showing up and he had to fix their breakfasts too until I got the call to come and fill in. 
A few family events still took place at the truckstop. We would often have a cake for some family member's birthday there. Occasionally large family Christmases or reunions were held there. After grandma died and gramps remarried their reception was held there and mom and dad's 25th anniversary was held there as they renewed their vows. Whenever my mom's mom and step-grandfather were back in town from D.C., we would have breakfast or lunch with them there as well. It was here that I heard both tragic and good news. Here that I would hang out with buddies, laugh and dream. Even when I went away to college, I could always go back and it would be like coming home again as soon as I walked in the door.
Unfortunately by the early 1990's we started to see a shift in the business climate. As trucking lines formed larger carriers they worked out deals with gas station chains so that their drivers would use the chains exclusively. Independent truckers were also becoming a thing of the past due to increasing insurance costs. The U.S. 20 bypass around the south side of South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart lowered the number of trucks on U.S. 6 significantly. And then chain restaurant franchises began to open up in both Bremen and at the intersection where we were formally located in LaPaz. In five years 9 new restaurants and gas stations opened up between these two feeder communities for our establishment......vying for a population of about five thousand. By the mid 90's business had been cut almost in half.
While there was a part of me that really wanted to step in and be the third generation owner, it became clear that it would be nearly impossible to hang on. By about 1993 Dad began to quietly look for a buyer, but by 1996 it seemed most prudent to close the doors. Dad was offered a purchase price in the late 80's that ended up being more than double what he finally sold the business for in 1997.
Closing day in September of 1996 (the day my brother got engaged) was rather surreal. Lots of tears shed by the family, employees and customers alike. I took a ton of pictures and am so thankful now that I did.....and in my heart I knew that things would just never be the same. I ate there a time or two when the new owners reopened in 1998, in fact it was there that I told my mom I had planned to ask my wife to marry me.
4 comments:
My Grandma worked there for a very long time.
Michele,
What was your grandmother's name?
Ruth Murray. I think it's the same place, I don't recall seeing 2truck stops in that area.
I asked my folks if they remembered the name Ruth Murray and they did not...I wonder if maybe she worked for the Alberts at the Alibi restaurant which was on the northwest corner of 6 and 31? Garners and the Alibi were the only two for decades.
Post a Comment