Columbus #4

Sing Food Store | Chevron Gas

3809 Saint Marys Road

Columbus, GA 31906

Updated with Ledger article: June 20, 2022 | Original Publication: September 29, 2021

Built in 1970, Station #4 was Sing's deepest entry into South Columbus and resides just over 2.5 miles away from the edge of Fort Benning Army base. Just off Exit 3 of I-185, the station was likely intended to serve interstate travelers who needed a break for gas just before the long, empty stretch of road to the South known as Corridor Z (US 280/GA 520/US 27/GA 1). Today, this area of Columbus is primarily made up of Military and low-income people and does not have the best reputation with regards to crime. While that is good for the purpose of this blog, as it means the station has gone through very few changes in the 30+ years since its Sing days, it also means that this Sing Store lacks much of the prestige it likely once had. I can definitely say it was not the worst Sing Store I have visited but it could have used a bit of T.L.C. and smelled faintly of marijuana on the inside. Lucky for me the cashier of this store (Summit #33) seemed more focused on his phone conversation in a foreign language than somebody taking pictures of the convenience store for an internet blog on gas station history. He also needed to restock their small and medium fountain drink lids; I typically buy something from these stores so I don't look entirely suspicious.

According to Muscogee County property records, Sing purchased this property on July 1, 1969 for $62,500 and transferred it between holding companies twice (March, 1981 & October, 1990). Sing Oil Company had a variety of divisions for tax and legal purposes so it is common to see stations distributed amongst various entities such as SDE (Sing Distributing Enterprises?) and Sing Industries, Inc. The October 22, 1990 transfer was a measure taken to consolidate and prepare the company for the Amoco-Sing merger that would conclude just over a week later. Amoco, operating as Sing Industries, Inc., later sold this station for $580,000 to McDonald Oil Company on June 23, 1993. There must have been a clause for Amoco to keep the acquired company operational for 2.5 years because they began to sell off a number of stores beginning in mid-1993. In 2019, McDonald Oil sold their retail assets to West Georgia Commercial Properties, with this station selling for $2.1 million. It is crazy to think how a 50 year old convenience store can sell for so much money!

The keen-eyed reader may wonder why there is no mention of Columbus #3 anywhere on the blog: that is because there is no official record of this station. It would have opened between 1965 (Columbus #2) and 1970 (This station) but could have been a dealer station, a standard convenience store, or a leased location. It is plausible that Columbus #3 was on Peacock Avenue near Wynnton Road because "Peacock Avenue" was scratched out on the back of my Columbus #7 photo and I have heard other anecdotal evidence but nothing that can be confirmed.

The storm of May, 1983

Columbus #4 Sing Store - May, 1983 after storm hit Sing Food Store & Chevron station, view from St. Marys Road

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - May, 1983
News photo of the original 1970 pump canopy that blew over during a strong thunderstorm

At the Sing Food Store, 3809 St. Mary’s Road, Columbus, the two-ton canopy covering the gas pumps was lifted from its supports and thrown against the store, coming to rest partly on the roof. Two gas pumps were torn from the concrete and all the store’s windows were smashed.
Parlay Thorne, manager of the store, said he and two other employees heard the storm approaching about 5:30 a.m.
“We didn’t see it coming, but we heard it and it was three of us trying to hold the doors closed.” Thorne said, “When the doors started to pulsate, we ran to the back of the store.”

The Columbus Ledger - May 16, 1983

While I had previously not been able to locate any written details of this event, I came across several newspaper pictures on Ebay of this station taken on May 16, 1983. According to Wikipedia, the 1983 hurricane season was mild and the first storm developed in July: showing that this was not hurricane damage. Additionally, I could not find any reports of tornadoes touching down in Georgia or Alabama around this time; therefore, I believe it must have been a strong thunderstorm that blew the canopy over and knocked out the sign behind the station.

After visiting the Columbus / Muscogee County Library, I was able to look through their microfilm collection of The Columbus Ledger to find the article corresponding to this photograph. Thank goodness my picture had a date on it, or else it would've been like looking for a needle in a haystack! I'm these pictures were from The Columbus Ledger and they were taken by Allen Horne to depict the damage inflicted upon South Columbus during the early morning hours of May 16, 1983 by a strong thunderstorm. The photo above is the one which ended up being published in The Ledger, while the one below must have been a back up option. I do wonder if the photo below could have been published the next day, but didn't bother to scroll through the extra microfilm!

With regards to the sign behind the convenience store, I believe it was for the branch of First Federal Savings & Loan that was located next door on Oakley Drive. The pieces remaining on the sign look like the top section said "First" and the middle section read "Federal" while the bottom showed time and temperature. According to Muscogee County property records, this bank branch has traveled through several companies during its life including Barnett Federal Savings Bank, SouthTrust Bank, and finally Wachovia.

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - May, 1983
News photo of the Chevron pump canopy that landed that on the Sing convenience store

The first picture looks like it was taken immediately after the storm while the second was taken several hours later because the sky seems a bit brighter. These pictures did reveal that the St. Marys Road station sold Chevron gas for a period and featured the branded 1980s pump spanner (More glimpses of 1980s Chevron styling will be shared on the post for Columbus #1). I had previously thought that select stations in the Atlanta market were Chevron branded and the rest of the stations sold Sing branded gas; however, I have found other references of Chevron gas at other stations. Over its lifetime I have pictures of this station selling both brands of gasoline, as shown above and below.

Columbus #4 Sing Store - 1970s Sing Food Store, view from St. Marys Road

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - 1970
The recently opened Sing store selling Sing branded gas and featuring the canopy that would blow over in a 1983 thunderstorm. Notice the light poles were repainted black in the picture at the top.

Summit #33 Conveniece Store - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
This Summit station has gone through few exterior changes since its days as a Sing

In 2021, this station remains largely unchanged from how it looked in 1990 as a Sing. I will share some photos from my visit and point out a few (or many) of the traits that survive over 30 years later. The first is from the photo above; while the brick has been painted white, the original doors are in place and the distinctive diagonal wood paneling can still be found on the bottom of two of the windows. It looks like Sing modified all of their existing stations with paneling sometime in the mid-1980s, possibly when they added in-store delis.

Summit #33 Conveniece Store - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - February, 2015

Muscogee County Property Records - February 23, 2015
Summit / Shell station as seen from St. Marys Road

Interior Photos

Stepping inside the store, we are greeted with the Sing grey and red Formica cabinets that are in the same location as they would have been in the 1980s. The pegboards that are now home to candy were originally intended for rolls of film but have since been repurposed. Also, the plexiglass around the cashier is an addition of the current tenant that reflects the rough neighborhood where this station is located. I can confidently say that the drink coolers to the right are original and I would assume that the laminate flooring is a vintage relic as well. This store was probably built before Sing began installing the red/orange tile that is seen in other stores. I do see one more relic behind the plexiglass that was personally shocking to me but I will get to that later . . .

Summit #33 original Sing cashier counter - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
Cashier counter of Summit #33 / Sing Columbus #4

To the right of the entry is the snack shelves and some other drink coolers. I'm not sure what would have originally been on that wall but it could have been hardware or garden supplies. Since I don't have any pictures of this store format in the 1980s, this station is the closest thing I have to an original. I do see a scar where a shelf has been moved about two feet toward the rear of the store though.

Summit #33 front of store - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
A bit dingy, ay?

Taking another step back, we see two more Sing originals: the red booth sets and the red pendant lights. I didn't notice the lights until I was writing this post but the identical fixtures can be seen behind the counter and above the Drink Center in Bradfordville. I assume the booths were moved away from the window to put the ice cream chest freezer because they otherwise seem out of place. This store might have had a partition between the seating area and the rest of the store but I am not sure.

Summit #33 front of store with original Sing lights and booths - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
I spy three Sing red pendants and two Sing red booths

Turning to the left, we see that a corner cabinet was removed to build the plexiglass wall around the cash register based on the discolored flooring. I assume this was reused for the fountain drink island because it looks like it is the correct shape and in a random location. Possibly the most interesting relic left is on the wall behind the cashier: the paint. I was shocked when I saw it, but the interior of this store has not been painted since the mid-80's! My Bradfordville pictures show how Sing painted the wall behind the deli red and had a blue strip that ran around the perimeter of the store. Summit covered this strip with a faux-brick wallpaper above the cooler but left it visible around the rest of the store. I never thought I would see a store with vintage paint yet here we are!

Summit #33 cashier counter and former Sing Deli - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
Is that red and blue Sing paint I see!?!?

I believe I found the missing cabinet which moved all of five feet. It is interesting how management bothered to hang a round sign from the ceiling promoting the soft drinks when they didn't bother doing so much more in this store. I'm not sure what the counter behind the fountain drink machine was used for in the Sing days but it is used for haphazard storage now. The blue Sing stripe on the wall is visible in this picture too.

Summit #33 drink center and former Sing Deli - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
Counter used for the "new" fountain drink and coffee center

Here is the other side of the drink counter which is home to coffee and Cappuccinos. While it may not be original, I would not be surprised if the open-faced cooler in the background has been there for a long, long time.

Summit #33 drink center - St. Marys Road, Columbus, GA - September, 2021

Columbus #4 - St Marys Road - September, 2021
Coffee station with original straw holder and open-faced drink cooler

Turning a bit more to the left, we see several ceiling tiles that show water damage and some more laminate tiles in need of repair. I also believe there are some "gambling" machines behind the shelf of snacks.