Full service gas station to close

Staff writer

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After nearly 30 years of service, South Sea Full Service Station owner Doyle Onstott says it’s time to hang up the pump and retire.

Onstott has been pumping gas, checking air pressure, cleaning windshields, and fixing flat tires since he started running the full service station for his uncle in 1985.

The South Avenue D station is the last full-service gas station in operation in Portales.

link Joshua Lucero: Staff photo

South Sea owner Doyle Onstott takes a moment Tuesday afternoon to look at the signatures and comments his customers left on the station’s walls. Doyle said he has been operating the station for more than 29 years.

“I didn’t know I’d be running it for 30 years,” Onstott said.

He said when the station closes on Dec. 31 it will have been in operation for 29 years and two months.

Onstott said he has pumped gas for customers in minus-20 degree weather and in temperatures above 110 degrees during his time running the station.

“People really appreciate you when the weather is bad,” Onstott said of his job.

Onstott said he is closing South Sea because of a decline in demand for full service gas stations and to take care of his family.

He said he made it nearly 30 years providing full service because of his customers and his pride in the business.

Over the years, South Sea has been a gateway to the community for Onstott. He said he has been able to form lasting relationships with many of his frequent customers.

“In the time that I’ve been here I’ve probably serviced a car for just about everyone in Portales,” Onstott said.

Onstott’s customers have already started to wonder what they will do after South Sea closes it’s doors after Dec. 31.

Joan Nuckols said she has gotten to know Onstott during her visits to his station and will miss the station when he closes down.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do when he’s gone,” Nuckols said. “He’s always been willing to do or help with that was needed.”

Nuckols said the station is the only place she goes to fill up on gas because of the relationships he built with her and other customers.

“I’ve always gone to him. I like visiting with him and the personal attention and service,” Nuckols said.

Onstott said he liked getting to know the community through his business.

“I like communicating and getting to know them,” Onstott said of his customers. “They got to be like a big group of family.”

He said working at the station allowed him to meet three generations of family over the years and provided him with opportunities to help others.

“Through the years I got to help people who were down and out. It makes a guy feel good,” Onstott said.

Kay Griffith, who said she has been a South Sea customer since the beginning, said the station’s closure will be a change for her and her husband.

“He’s always been a great help. It was always nice to stop in,” Griffith said. “He did everything I needed so I didn’t have to worry about it.”

Griffith said she only went to South Sea to fill her vehicle with gas.

“It’s a real loss for the community. He’s been a fixture in the community for a long time,” Griffith said.

Onstott has allowed his customers to sign the walls in the station before he closes.

“My customers were a part of my business. I can’t take the walls with me when I leave, but I can take pictures of them,” Onstott said.

Onstott said he won’t be getting completely out of the business when he retires. He said he still plans on fixing flats out of his wife’s business, Cindi’s Treasures, until he is physically unable.

“I have the equipment and I’ll use it until I get too old. It’s something I enjoy doing,” Onstott said.