Laurel

Sing Food Store | Deli

3649 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440

For a bit of a break in the tradition of this blog, this week we are going to venture to one of the oddities of Sing's territory expansion in the 1980's. For those who don't know, Sing began to move west during the '80s with a handful of stations in Alabama (3), Mississippi (8), and Louisiana (1). I say odd because Sing acquired one station in Alabama (Gadsden) and built two others identical to this station that they sold off less than three years after completion. For Mississippi, Sing started in Jackson by at least the late '70s and built seven other stations that I have record of throughout the '80s. Louisiana got its one-and-only station in Bogalusa, which was probably built around 1985. I guess Sing decided that Mississippi was the new land of promise after covering much of Georgia and a few other locations in North Florida. I'm not sure if I understand this choice, and it seems like Amoco didn't really value these stations as much as those in other markets (ehhm . . . Tallahassee) either. Regardless, they happened, and I found myself in South Mississippi; I just had to take a few detours from a work trip to see these mysterious creatures. Out of all 12 of these Western stations, 11 are still open, and only one of them is a Circle K. Just as a reminder, Sing had 12 stations in Tallahassee and two more lots that would be developed in the '90s; 13 of those 14 stations remain open today as Circle K stations. While the Circle K Sing Stores seem to be the best maintained, the independents, like this one, are the most original.

I believe this store was built in 1985, which would put it right in the middle of the four-year span that this floor plan was built. I also think that all seven of the stations built like this included a delicatessen, and we will see some reaffirming evidence once inside this store. The first newspaper record I have for Laurel is in 1985; the Jackson Clarion-Ledger mentions it in coordination with survey information, but I do not have a concrete year on when it was built. As far as I can tell, this station swapped from Amoco to Texaco around the turn of the millennium, went unbranded around 2010, and became Alliance Energy #4 sometime between 2014 and 2019.

Based on what I have found through my research, historical photos, and having visited three of the large-format square style stores, I am pretty certain that all of them had the same interior floor plan. Therefore, this station would have looked nearly identical to Bradfordville when it was completed. Since I have extensive historical documentation in that post, I will only show what I found in Laurel on my November, 2021 trip.

Interior Photos

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Anyone up for a nice room-temperature Faygo or Moon Mist?

As you can tell from this first picture, the inside of this store was a bit cluttered and had a bit of rearrangement since its construction. As a point of reference, this shot was taken right as I walked in the door, with the three rows of fluorescent lights running perpendicular to the entrance and the long side of the floor tiles parallel. The aisles used to run roughly under the light rows, and the shelves would have been on either side. Also, it looks like the walls have been covered with green and blue stripes near the top, so we don't get a treat like Columbus #4.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Too many drinks, not enough shelves . . . or customers

With that being said, a couple of things have not changed in this store for the 35+ years it has been open. To start, the fluorescent light fixtures are identical to the ones from my Bradfordville pictures, which would also mean the dropped ceiling is probably original, too. The floor tile is also the same and seems to have stood up pretty well for how long it has been there. The last thing I was most excited about in this store was the possibility that it still had the deli seating area - and it did.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Ooh, so bright and comfy!

Behind the stacks of drinks in the second picture were the original booths arranged just as they would have been in 1985! I saw nearly identical booths to these in Columbus #4 and thought that these new-build deli stores would have featured some sort of seating area like this. This store even kept the pendant lights over each booth and the partition wall to separate the seating from the rest of the store. I'm not sure why these lights were white and not red like the ones found in Bradfordville or Columbus, but maybe Sing used different variations of them. It doesn't look like many people use these booths considering how many boxes there are here, but who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Which brings more happiness: ice cream or the lotto? You can get your cash for either here!

Here is a wider view of the seating area that is located just to the right of the entrance. A magazine rack would have been where the Blue Bunny freezer is. Automotive supplies would have been along the partition wall where the Dasani, Coke, and Lottery shelves are. I didn't get a picture, but I could also see label scars on the bulkhead around the perimeter of the store. This means the current occupant just ripped the Sing letters off the wall and plastered the striped stickers over the original painted drywall. The gap to the left of the partition is a pass-through to get to the restrooms and formerly had corresponding signage.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Some nice orange tile to brighten up this dingy bathroom

I was able to venture into the restroom and noticed some orange tile around the ceiling. I believe this was the same tile used on the wall behind the register but it looks original, regardless.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
It looks like the toilet paper shortage struck here too

Moving back to the store we see the original Sing drink coolers mostly in their original configuration. Although, there is definitely a wider section of beer in this store than Sing would have had.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
I guess all of the beer drinkers had the munchies too

Dairy used to occupy the entire three coolers to the right, and garden / hardware would have been to the right of the exit / cooler hallway. Soft drinks would have been in the coolers under the Dos Equis and Miller Lite signs.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
This store must sell a lot of beer - and Smirnoff Ice

Turning 180 degrees from there, we would have been looking at the wine coolers (now the beer cave under the Corona and Yuengling signs) and the snack section (where the fountain machine is). Beer would have been in the three coolers to my right, next to soft drinks.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Is that real granite I see? Nope, just Formica.

Heading back to the front of the store, we see a better view of the former snack section and the old location of the "Drink Center" island. There is a black spot in the floor where the electric lines used to run to the drink island, and the copper wires were sanded off (how safe!). Also, the remainder of the short wall to the left of the drink fountain was the frozen food section. The deli would have been in the far left of this shot.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Daiquiri Drive - or whatever all of that mess is

Here is a better view of the old deli. It looks like this store may still offer some form of hot food, but the counter was mostly cluttered with lighters and other sketchy gas station paraphernalia. It looks like all of the cabinets in this store have been replaced with a faux granite Formica. I can also see where the original tile behind the counter has been painted over with green, blue, and white. It is interesting that this store did not have the two short, high windows behind the register like Bradfordville. Tallahassee #6 and the stores built in 1985 or later didn't get these either.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Free air: you're breathing it now

What former Sing station would be complete without the vacuum lights? While it looks like the fixtures were swapped out during this station's Amoco days, the poles look to be original and I'm sure the concrete pad is too. The "Free air" sign is also an Amoco addition. I'm not sure what happened to the original vacuum unit, but it also doesn't look like anybody has gotten air here in quite a few years.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Chartreuse? Lime? Electric? Harlequin?

Something interesting about several of these Mississippi stores is how the awning is configured. While it is not entirely original, the lower portion looks like it has the same pitch as it would have in the '80s. I assume Amoco modified these because all of the Mississippi stations (except Gulfport) got the same treatment while the Enterprise, AL and Opp, AL stores that were sold before the merger had their original awnings in to the 2000's. Furthermore, this station still had the original Sing fluorescent lights over the awning which is very rare to see in 2021. Those same lights can be seen with the original awing in the (surprisingly) Bradfordville post.

Alliance Energy #4 - November, 2021
Admittedly, a beautiful fall day in Mississippi

In closing, the Laurel, MS Sing Store may look a bit different than it did in 1990 but if you know where to look you can find plenty of original pieces of Sing Oil Company history. Let's see how long it takes to visit another station that was part of Sing's '80s westward expansion . . .