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Despite self-service gas stations being in every state except Oregon and New Jersey, some full-service stations still have open doors, including in Lebanon County. Craig Miller, co-owner of Market Square Service Station on North 9th St. in Lebanon, shared how his family business has shifted through the years since his father opened it in 1953.

Market Square Service Station is located on 31 North 9th St. in Lebanon (Google Maps).

Back in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, customers would pull up to Market Square to be met with attendants sporting dress shirts, slacks, and bowties, waiting to pump gas for them at prices as low as 17 cents a gallon. Market Square was a garage that customers could rely on to provide gas and other small services with excellence. Not only did the employees dress to impress, but the building itself had sparkling white porcelain walls and a squeaky-clean interior.

Customers have frequented Market Square Service Station over the years for gasoline, a windshield and back window wash, and an oil, fluids, and tire check (Lexi Gonzalez).

โ€œAt that time, we pumped gas,โ€ Miller said. โ€œIt was a gas station. Back in the day, every car that came in for gas, weโ€™d wash the windshield, wash the back window, check the oil, and even back before that, youโ€™d check all the fluids and the tires. It was just the thing you did.โ€

Services and building aside, the environment itself of Market Square was altogether different.

A sign at Market Square Service Station that showcases how the company has diversified over the years (Lexi Gonzalez).

โ€œIt was a different world,โ€ Miller said. โ€œThatโ€™s what this is from – a different world. People used to come in and hang out. When I was a kid, I used to work here. We were open 24 hours a day. 10 oโ€™clock at night, 12 oโ€™clock at night, cars were lined up the street waiting to come in and get gas.โ€

The demand was particularly high during the fuel shortage in the early 1970s. Miller shared how busy he remembered the station being.

Market Square Service Station was in business during the historic fuel shortage that affected people across the nation (Lexi Gonzalez).

โ€œThey were just talking about the fuel shortage with the pipeline being shut down,โ€ Miller said. โ€œThat wasnโ€™t a fuel shortage. A fuel shortage was when we didnโ€™t have fuel all over the country. Weโ€™d put a sign out, โ€˜Open at One.โ€™ One to three weโ€™d be open for gas, and theyโ€™d line up.โ€

During the shortage, whether oneโ€™s license plate ended in an even number or an odd number decided when they could fill their car with gasoline. Odd-numbered and even-numbered plates would alternate every other day. Market Square would limit just how much customers could buy.

The front of the Market Square Service Station (Lexi Gonzalez).

When self-service began to take over the gasoline scene, Market Square could not compete with the other stationsโ€™ prices or convenience. While still pumping gas, the team at Market Square began to offer other services, which is what keeps it going now.

Another sign at Market Square Service Station that mentions the company is also an inspection and emission station (Lexi Gonzalez).

โ€œWell, that, of course, went all by the wayside with the becoming of self-service, so we got more into the repair, you know, inspections and vehicle service, and all phases of car repair,โ€ Miller said.

After Craig Miller and his brother, Michael Miller, purchased the station from their father in 1996, Market Square also began to sell used cars. Still, the Miller brothers are most proud of how they have taken the excellent service that was once at the gas pump and brought it to the repair garage.

Gasoline is still available at Market Square but is rarely the sole reason why customers bring their vehicles there anymore.

The side of the Market Square Service Station (Lexi Gonzalez).

โ€œMost of our customers for gas anymore are elderly people who donโ€™t want to pump the gas themselves,โ€ Miller said. โ€œI mean thatโ€™s pretty much what it is anymore, because being small like we are, our prices canโ€™t be as competitive [with chains such as Sheetz and Rutter’s and Turkey Hill]. Everythingโ€™s totally changed because you go to the Sheetz and you put your credit card in, you put your gas in, and boom, youโ€™re out of there, and then in the meantime, you might go in there and buy a sandwich or coffee or drink, and youโ€™re out of there.โ€

While the operating Market Square looks quite different than how it did in its early years, Miller shared his thankfulness and contentment with their loyal customer base.

A sign and pump at Market Square Service Station (Page Olsen).

โ€œPeople got used to going to the same garage,โ€ Miller said. โ€œThey did your repairs, your inspections, your vehicle service, sold your gas, and you depended on them. And thatโ€™s how our customers are now. Itโ€™s just enough for my brother and I, and thatโ€™s all we need.โ€

Market Square Service Station not only demonstrates the power of adaptability but how much interesting history the business right down the street can be steeped in.

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