A few years ago, Ken Wilson put a “not for sale” sign on the gas station his family has owned since 1942 after a shakeup of longtime businesses in the Bonnie Brae neighborhood had everyone asking if his property was next on the trading block.
Times have changed.
The sign on the Conoco station at 724 S. University Blvd. has the words “For Sale” below the gas prices. Wilson and his two sisters signed with a real estate agency in February.
“I think they’ve got some people who sound like they’re interested and they wanted to put that sign up to let people know ‘OK, if you’re serious, it’s time to get your bids in,’ ” Wilson said.
He and his sisters previously put the gas station on the market but nothing happened. His father, Gene Wilson, died unexpectedly when he was 68. His uncle, Rob Wilson, who worked at the family business his whole career, retired about six years ago.
The siblings started thinking about the next step. Wilson figured he could keep working until he turned 65. He’s 60 years old.
“But I guess my sisters found a realtor last year. That’s fine,” Wilson said. “We don’t have to take just any kind of offer because time’s on our side.”
Wilson’s grandfather, Ken, started the family business 84 years ago. His father bought the gas station in the late 1960s and bought the station and the land from Conoco in the late 1970s.
“My father worked here until the day he died,” Wilson said. “I worked here when I was 12 and through college.”
Wilson then worked at other jobs. He was in sales at a medical devices company. “I came back here about 15 years ago and I was helping my dad and uncle out. I could tell they were getting older and needed some help.”
Changes over the last few years in the Bonnie Brae business district, along University Boulevard and east of Washington Park, stirred angst among community members. The Bonnie Brae Tavern, which opened in 1934, closed in 2022. An apartment building is being built where the restaurant once stood.
Wilson put up the “not for sale” sign on the Conoco station to calm speculation about the family’s business.
“I actually had to put that up because there was a rumor that we were going to be developed as a high rise. I had customers coming in every day and calling me,” Wilson said.
On April Fools’ Day one year, Wilson deleted the “Not” from the sign, announcing the property was on the market. “That was a great April Fools’ joke. Everyone was coming in that day.”
This time, it’s no joke. But Wilson said the family can wait for the right situation.
“It’s a good piece of property, right on the corner,” he said. “It’s sure been good to our family.”
The gas station has two full-time mechanics, a father and a son. Wilson also has two part-time employees.
The family’s business has ebbed and flowed with the economy and energy markets through the years.
“We’ve seen gas rationing. We’ve the prices high, the prices low,” Wilson said. “The prices are high now. They’ll come back down eventually.”
He said it’s better for business when gas prices are lower. “My margin on gas sales gets very slim when the price goes up.”
Another challenge is the station’s location.
“We’re in a neighborhood where people have some money. When people buy new cars, those don’t need to be repaired.”
And the mechanics can’t do a lot of work on European and electric vehicles, Wilson said. People who’ve looked at the property have had different ideas for it.
“It makes sense to me to keep the gas station, because it does well, and there’s all that traffic,” Wilson said.
