Longtime Service Station Owner Plans To Retire
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
A Warsaw landmark will disappear at the end of January when Pinky's Union 76 closes its doors.
Owner Robert Eherenman, whom everyone knows as Pinky, is not retiring by choice. "I really don't want to get out," he said recently.
But a ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would require all gas stations to remove their underground tanks and replace them by Dec. 2, 1998. For Pinky's three tanks, the cost, estimated between $50,000 to $100,000, is simply too much.
"There will probably be a lot of service stations go out of business by December 2," he said.
Located on the corner of Detroit and Center streets for 33 years, Pinky's is one of the few full-service gas stations left. And his customers aren't happy he's closing.
"I still have customers that started with me," he said, telling of how, when the road was closed for the Ind. 15 project, loyal customers still managed to get to his station.
He's just as upset that the service station building will be torn down by D & D Oil from Rochester, and a convenience store built on the site.
"This station is the old Pure Oil design," he said. "There aren't many of them left around the country. I hate to see it get torn down."
He usually hired mechanics to work in the three service bays, and he dealt with the public in the front. Putting in 12-hour days, he said, didn't bother him.
"I can honestly say I've enjoyed all the time I've been here," he said. "I still look forward to coming to work."
Pinky, 70, was born in Michigan and later moved to Indiana. He's a 1945 graduate of Mentone High School, where he earned his nickname because he blushes a lot. His wife of 49 years, Jane, is happy that he's finally retiring, he said.
He expects to play a little more golf when the weather warms up, he said, and he won't miss the winters.
But he's not moving anywhere, and he still expects to see the many customers who have become his friends: "I'll still be around." [[In-content Ad]]
A Warsaw landmark will disappear at the end of January when Pinky's Union 76 closes its doors.
Owner Robert Eherenman, whom everyone knows as Pinky, is not retiring by choice. "I really don't want to get out," he said recently.
But a ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would require all gas stations to remove their underground tanks and replace them by Dec. 2, 1998. For Pinky's three tanks, the cost, estimated between $50,000 to $100,000, is simply too much.
"There will probably be a lot of service stations go out of business by December 2," he said.
Located on the corner of Detroit and Center streets for 33 years, Pinky's is one of the few full-service gas stations left. And his customers aren't happy he's closing.
"I still have customers that started with me," he said, telling of how, when the road was closed for the Ind. 15 project, loyal customers still managed to get to his station.
He's just as upset that the service station building will be torn down by D & D Oil from Rochester, and a convenience store built on the site.
"This station is the old Pure Oil design," he said. "There aren't many of them left around the country. I hate to see it get torn down."
He usually hired mechanics to work in the three service bays, and he dealt with the public in the front. Putting in 12-hour days, he said, didn't bother him.
"I can honestly say I've enjoyed all the time I've been here," he said. "I still look forward to coming to work."
Pinky, 70, was born in Michigan and later moved to Indiana. He's a 1945 graduate of Mentone High School, where he earned his nickname because he blushes a lot. His wife of 49 years, Jane, is happy that he's finally retiring, he said.
He expects to play a little more golf when the weather warms up, he said, and he won't miss the winters.
But he's not moving anywhere, and he still expects to see the many customers who have become his friends: "I'll still be around." [[In-content Ad]]