Perry Travel Center - Perry, GA

Perry Travel Center

Sing Food Store | Deli | Truck Stop

517 Perry Parkway

Perry, GA 31069

While I don't know this for sure, I have heard rumors that one of the executives of Sing Oil Company was friends with Tom Love and that this station was modeled after a 1980's Love's truck stop.  I typically don't believe anecdotal evidence like this, but after looking at several older Love's Travel Stops around Oklahoma City (where the company is based), I'm inclined to believe this.  While they do have minor differences, the insides of these convenience stores have strikingly similar layouts, the fuel pumps are positioned similarly on the lot, and the Love's stores even feature a backlit awning design.  

Regardless, this convenience store is the only one Sing ever built to look like this and is possibly the last station built by the pre-Amoco Sing Oil Co. (Jacksonville, FL #4 was also opened in 1989).  I didn't expect much from my visit to this store, even though it is operated by the Georgia-based Jones Petroleum (and not Circle K).  Needless to say, I was shocked by the end of my visit, but first let's crack open some historical newspapers.

Some History

For those who aren't familiar with the area, Exit 138 on I-75 was built in 1988 just to the north of the original alignment of Thompson Road.  The new exit was expected to be a bastion of commercial development, with speculation of housing, restaurants, and lodging around the new Northrop plant.  Opening around that time, the factory was intended to build the Triservice Standoff Attack Missile; two years after the DoD canceled the missile program in 1995, Northrop Grumman announced it would close this plant.  Needless to say, Sing Oil Company was the only other business which decided to locate here compared to the much more popular Exit 136 / Sam Nunn Blvd.  Even today, the only advertised businesses on the exit are this station and a Publix & McDonald's which are 2 miles east on Perry Parkway.  This exit also caused confusion by originally being numbered 43A on Georgia's old sequential exit system.  The modern Exit 136 was originally Exit 43, even though it is over a mile south.  It seems like it is much easier for the DOT to add an exit now!

Courtesy The Houston Home Journal staff - The Houston Home Journal - May 27, 1989

The Houston Home Journal reported that this station would have its grand opening on June 5, 1989, and was a "new I-75 travel haven."  Such amenities included four indoor pay phones, five truck fuel bays, and deli seating for 32.  The photo above also shows Sing's late-1980's backlit awning and canopy design.  I only know of one other station which received this prototype (Gulfport, MS), and I wonder how many other stations would have looked like this had Amoco not bought Sing.

I cannot say enough good things about the staff at The Houston Home Journal.  I contacted them in an attempt to see if they still had the originals of these photos; while they did not, they were gracious enough to look through their physical paper archives and send me a better copy of the picture above.

Courtesy Georgia Historic Newspapers - The Houston Home Journal - June 21, 1989

The next article I found shows the grand opening of this station on June 19, 1989.  It seems like the date was delayed a few weeks from the original plan; regardless, Tommy Willard, station manager, and Rick Singletary, grandson of Sing's founder L.H. Singletary, were present and pictured above with a host of others. This was a big moment for the company; not only was it the launch of a new concept, but it was possibly the last store to be opened.  According to Tom Perry, Sing's former Executive VP & General Manager, Sing started to reserve resources as they began talks with Amoco about a potential merger.  No stations were built or opened in the year leading up to the Amoco acquisition.

Courtesy Georgia Historic Newspapers - The Houston Home Journal - May 31, 1989

Several ads were run for this station, with this one being the most '80s of them all. I love how they tried to look "high-tech" by using computer fonts and calling the sale a "punch card free gift program."
 

Courtesy Georgia Historic Newspapers - The Houston Home Journal - February 27, 1991

Courtesy Georgia Historic Newspapers - The Houston Home Journal - September 18, 1991

These next two ads are interesting because they show the window of time it took Amoco to rebrand the station.  The Amoco-Sing merger was finalized on October 31, 1990, but it looks like Amoco exclusively used the Sing branding on the stations for about another year (shown by the first ad).  By September, it seems like the company began to use the Amoco gas brand at Sing convenience stores before they sold off this station in 1994.  As a reminder, Perry #1 was sold off in 1993.

The Store

From the front of the store, it looks like this building has not been modified much since it was constructed in 1989.  Sing installed a similar greenhouse seating area on the front of the Gulfport store, and I believe this feature would have been more widely implemented had the company not been acquired.  

One thing I was very excited to see upon walking into the store was this structure on the awning.  If you zoom in, you can see fluorescent lights through the gaps which are part the original signage backlight!  One day, I'll get around to sharing all of my pictures of the Gulfport station that also received a backlit awning and canopy.  Meanwhile, I just was glad to see that there is a small chance this rare edition of Sing branding is still in-tact under the bland "food mart" signage.  I would love to be at this station the day those panels get taken down!  (You can see the structure in the first newspaper image I included above from 1989).

Stepping inside, we are greeted with the traditional convenience store fare and nothing that screams "Sing Oil Company" at me.  I'd imagine that the floor tile could be original since this station is only 33 years old, in contrast to some like Columbus #8 with tile that is likely from the '70s.

Turning to the right, we see the seating area that has certainly been shrunk over the years.  Last time I checked, six stools will not seat 32 people.  I'd imagine there were originally some booths in this area that would have looked similar to this, with a row of four booths on either side of an aisle.

Here is the other side of the beef jerky shelf, looking back toward the doors and the cashier counter.

Moving straight ahead from the last picture, here is a look toward the door to the semi-truck fuel pumps.  The door to the standard fuel pumps is to our left and the cashier counter and rest of the store to my right.

From there, we will back up a bit to take a look at the cashier counter.  The door in the previous picture is the one right next to the cashier, and the main door to the regular gas pumps is in the left edge of the shot.  I'd imagine that this station is still configured roughly the same as it was in 1989; moreover, several of the Love's truck stops I saw online use this same counter configuration.  These cabinets are different than the ones I have seen in other former Sings but could have been a prototype that wasn't widely rolled out.

The store seems to have installed new cabinets in the coffee / fountain drink area which leads me to believe the rest of the store's fixtures have been replaced.  I'm inclined to say the bulkhead which reads "Jones gourmet coffee cafe" dates back to Sing but I really cannot tell since this station was a one-off!  The light fixtures have definitely been replaced in the last few years.  It does, however, looks like this station has a few leaks in the ceiling that need to be repaired.

Here is a look at the drink area from a different angle, and we can see the hot food section that is attached to the cashier counter.  I wouldn't be surprised if this store still has a full commercial kitchen behind the wall with the TVs, like Tallahassee #10.  The hot food counter is home to a Subway in the Love's I have mentioned previously.

Here, we see an overview of the snack section of the store from the back left corner.  For reference, the drink coolers are to my left and the café seating area is where the bulkhead sticks out in the center of the picture.

To wrap up the tour of the store, I took a picture from the same spot using my phone's wide-angle lens.  My back is to the restroom hallway, and we can see the door is open to a storage room at the end of the cooler wall.  I wish I knew how much of this store's interior was original, but I do feel confident that the layout has not changed.

Back Outside

Wow, to think that gas was $2.87 a gallon back in September; meanwhile, I passed a station today selling the same product for $4.09 a gallon.  Is anybody else having flashbacks to 2008? It is amazing the influence that geopolitics have on the economy and how Russia invading Ukraine can cause gas prices in the US to skyrocket! 

One of the most consistent remnants of a Sing is the pair of lights at the vacuum station; this store was no exception.  I also wouldn't be surprised if the billboard sign was also original because Sing began to experiment with these larger signs in the late '80s at Gulfport and Tallahassee #7.  Similar to this location, both of those stations are close to an interstate exit and probably wanted to get the attention of drivers who were passing through.

Another unique feature about this station when compared to other Sing Stores is the presence of these truck bays.  I believe this canopy is original to the station's construction and strongly resembles this one from Love's.

The back of the convenience store and truck canopy don't look all that interesting from this angle; although, I do see a small patch of red peeking out which is reminiscent of the store's Texaco days.

Looking from one of the bays, we can see the truck entrance to the convenience store and more of the backlight structure on the awning.  

That's odd, I wonder why it looks like somebody painted over a word on the sign that says "WELCOME TO"?

Let's take another look at that sign.  It seems a bit old and faded to me.

Could it be?

A sign that still has the Sing logo on it!  In the wild!!  This is the kind of stuff I never dreamed I would find hanging around over 30 years after it was installed.  If anybody ever needed proof that this travel center was run by Sing Oil Company, here it is!  For the most part, the sign is still in its original condition except for the little bit of blue paint somebody used to cover up the Sing logo and "Sing" next to "Welcome To" at the top of the sign.  Even better, this station has five of these signs, all in largely the same condition.  I really want to get my hands on one of them before they make their way to the landfill.  Maybe one day!  I'd much rather worry about getting some 30-year-old blue paint off a logo than agonize over "the sign that got away."

The rest of the truck pumps aren't that interesting, and Sing's original Gilbarco Highlines have been replaced with some newer Wayne Ovation dispensers.  I did read a few reviews stating these pumps still don't take credit or fleet cards, which is surprising for the 2020's.

We'll take one last look over the property before we head south on I-75.  Unfortunately, between here and my next stop I had a rock fly up and crack my windshield.  I still feel like this trip was worth it.

Courtesy Houston County Property Appraiser - Perry Texaco Travel Center

Finally, here is a look at this station when it was a Texaco, thanks to the Houston County Property Appraiser's website.

But wait, there's more!  Check out my second edition of The Sing Oil Blog: More Than Convenience on Kroger #407 after this station's street and aerial views.

Street Views

Google Street View - January 2008

Sing's Perry Travel Center as a Texaco station

Google Street View - November 2018

I believe this station was converted to a Valero around 2012

Google Street View - December 2021

Jones Petro now operates station with Valero's current livery

Aerial Views

Historic Aerials - 1981
Future site of the Perry Travel Center, with the old alignment of Thompson Road

Google Earth - January 1993
Three-year-old Amoco-Sing Travel Center

Google Earth - November 2019
The current station, with the old alignment of Thompson Road in the bottom of the picture

 

Kroger, For Goodness Sake!

For the second iteration of MTC, we'll be looking at a Kroger located one exit south on I-75.  Click on the graphic above to read the other posts in this series and learn more about the project!

 Kroger #407

Perry Marketplace

1365 Sam Nunn Boulevard

Perry, GA 31069

Revisited: March 28, 2022 | Original Publication: February 26, 2022

Just as a warning, if you don't want to read a rant about one of my recent shopping trips at another store, skip down to the next picture. 😊

As I am writing this post, I just finished shopping at a different Kroger that always makes me question my decisions.  I've got to say, I'm certainly biased toward Publix on my weekly grocery runs because for me, Kroger's motto should be "Where shopping isn't a pleasure" — or at least the store nearest me.  I'll give it to them that their prices are often cheaper than the big green, and their Home Chef meal kits are superior to Aprons, in my opinion; however, the "lower than low" prices must result in a store that is "fresher than fresh[ly]" out of stock.  I went to the store today with the goal of buying some chicken breasts for a pasta I intend to make for dinner until I saw that they were out.  Even better, the only chicken this Kroger had was 3 whole chickens and several family-packs of drumsticks.  I settled for ground turkey (since they had plenty).  Additionally, the produce tends to be picked over in that store or covered in fruit flies when it is plentiful.  The good news is they always have plenty of items on clearance due to many overstocks or close sell-by dates. They also had some spices that I have not been able to find for weeks at Publix.

You would think with how I described the store above that it was a small outlet in a forgotten town; on the contrary, it is a 1980's greenhouse store that has taken over several parcels next door to make it quite large (big enough for an entire Murry's specialty cheese island).  The store was also remodeled in 2018 from Bountiful to Marketplace but still looks tired.  The odd layout from the expansion and the scarred concrete floors don't help the matter.  The most tired (or apathetic) thing about this store must be the employees. I can never count on getting sliced deli meat because even though it has a much larger counter than any nearby Publix, it is either closed, there are no employees in the vicinity, or the employees there think one-third of a pound = 0.75 lbs. (Yes, I've had to correct an employee before).  On top of all of that, the checkout experience is always horrendous.  This store has two self-checkout sections, each with 4-6 registers apiece, but only one set ever seems to be open at a time.  On a lucky day like today, you may be able to find a breathing human to scan your items "the old fashioned way," but if you bring your own bag, you'll have to bag the groceries yourself!

I hate to rant on an informative blog like this, but I felt inspired after my recent experience to explain part of the reason I have grown to enjoy Publix even more.  I know that most Krogers are not like the one I have mentioned above, and I have been to much better stores (including the one we will tour today).  I've even been to another greenhouse store in the last week, and while it was a bit small, it still was quaint and had a vintage "charm" to it.  I also understand why AFB and YonWooRetail2 prefer shopping at remodeled Winn-Dixie stores for the low prices they offer.  I grew up thinking WD was a dying brand with run down stores.  Recently, I went into a 1980's store that had been remodeled with the Winn-Win décor and was shocked at how nice it looked; it could give Publix a run for its money!  I will say, Kroger's newer packages has some nice details, including the hand-painted designs on the walls, but I believe they need to do a better job of making their older stores brighter and more inviting like Winn-Dixie has done recently.  Publix doesn't really have that issue because the majority of their stores were built in the last 30 years and have been remodeled in the last 5-10.  I either want the store to be old and have cool, vintage décor or be thoroughly remodeled and look modern!  With that being said, let's move on to Kroger Perry Marketplace and much happier memories.

Courtesy Georgia Historic Newspapers - The Houston Home Journal - November 21, 1992

This store opened on November 19, 1992, and uses what I believe is the 40,000 sqft '90s version of the Kroger Greenhouse.  Even though you Kroger fans have suffered through my rant above, I do have fond memories of shopping at Kroger when I was younger with my grandmother.  Her store eventually was gutted and turned into a gigantic Marketplace prototype, but I primarily remember shopping at the former greenhouse when it sported the good 'ole Millennium décor (Kroger Spirit).  I had long-since forgotten about this until I came across Retail Retell's Mid-South Retail Blog (I affectionately call it the "Kroger Blog" even though it covers many more topics).  While I doubt I will ever come across the elusive (but really stinkin' cool) Bauhaus interior, I did want to capture the Kroger décor I remember the most before it went extinct.  Most stores I have seen have been remodeled with Bountiful, Marketplace, or Neighborhood, with the occasional Script hanging around, so I was shocked to find that the Perry store still had the two-decade old decorations.  The only reason I checked this store out was due to my confusion on why it said "For Goodness Sake" on the outside (more on that later).  Meanwhile, I decided to take the chance while I had it to capture one of my long-lost grocery store memories, before it actually became long-lost (I have 0% hope that I will stumble across a Wavy Pastels store).  Let's dive in!

I didn't realize Kroger still operated any stores in Georgia south of Macon, so the fact that this location was even here was a surprise to me.  (Although, I did find the ghost of a Kroger past that I will have to share in a later post).  Outside the Savannah area, it looks like there is one lone South Georgia Kroger in Waycross.  

I believe this is Kroger's last iteration of it's popular "Greenhouse" design which would have been used during the 1980's.  This particular store looks like it was built in 1992.

Since my first visit to this store was during the winter, there was just a set of empty shelves to the right of the door; however, this corner has really sprung up with plants recently!

Stepping just inside the vestibule, we see the cart storage area and a little sliver of some wallpaper above the windows.

Even though I missed it on my first trip, I managed to get a picture of the flower market that is just inside the door.

Just past the flowers, you are greeted with the bakery (labeled "Bread & Pastry").  It looks like Kroger removed some old laminate tile at some point, but I believe this is a more recent trend for them.

Behind the bakery we have the produce department ("Garden Market") in the back right of the store.

I do wonder why they resorted to using watermelon bins to display onions and pumpkin bins for potatoes.  Regardless, Kroger does seem to carry some really good watermelons in the summer months!

Aisle 1 is home to bread and canned goods.  We also get a good view of a Millennium aisle sign; although, I'm not sure why instant potatoes and pork & beans are some of the featured items.  I may be wrong, but I believe Retail Retell was lucky enough to take one of these aisle signs home from a store that was being torn down.  If only I could be so lucky with some Publix décor!

Turning toward the back of the store again, we see the signage for the meat & seafood departments with a coffin cooler in the middle of the actionway.

While I didn't get many overview pictures of the store on my first trip, I managed to fix that on my second attempt.  Here is a closeup of the Meat & Seafood sign from my first visit.

Heading over to the back left of the store, we see the milk coolers with a coffin cooler of various sale items in front of it.  Here we get a good view of Millennium's stripping that goes around the perimeter of the store and matches the aisle signage.

Aisle 6 is home to the three "c"s:  charcoal, condiments, and cards. This shot is looking toward the back of the store.  I think I remember taking this picture to show how they spelled ketchup ("catsup") which I thought was interesting. That also could just be me noticing this after the fact.

On my second trip, the only aisle I photographed was aisle 7 (probably because people weren't hanging out with the cat litter and insecticides).

Taking a look down aisle 10 toward the back of the store, we see the sign for luncheon meats off in the distance and how the ceiling is raised over the grocery department (much like Publix did in their 1990's and earlier stores).  At least the aisle sign items are on the correct sides here!

The left wall of the store (aisle 13) is home to dairy and beer.  I really wish they had put the beer sign on the same side as the product, where butter is!  I guess that is just my OCD coming out.

In the front left, we have the deli, and one of the pennant motifs I remember from my grandmother's store.  I believe the registers used to have these as well, but I could be wrong.

Since Retail Retell pointed out that he had never seen one of these "Cheese Shop" signs before, I intentionally took a picture of it on my second trip.  It is interesting that I didn't see much cheese in the coolers (sorry that this shot is covered up by the pretzel chips display).

Up front, to the left of the deli, we have the pharmacy and a few short H&BA aisles before we reach customer service and the checkout lines.  You can't see them very well in this picture, but it looks like the checkout lights were changed out from the original Kroger Spirit ones that would've looked like this.  Also, thanks to a comment I received, I found out the "Self-Checkout" sign is from Kroger's Flagship Value package.

Since I didn't get a good picture of it on my first visit, I managed to take a better shot of the pharmacy during round 2.

I also got a better overview of the deli and the front left corner of the store.  On a side note, I always wonder who buys Peeps during the few weeks leading up to Easter.  I've never enjoyed them myself, and I've talked to a number of others who agree with me.  Maybe they are always bought as a way to give kids as much sugar in as little time as possible.

In my last shot, we check out the last part of the store - the checkout lines!  The only other piece of this store I wish I had taken a picture of was the Customer Service counter, which was to the right of the exit doors.  Unfortunately, too many people were standing there looking at me (or more likely looking at the large German Shepard the man next to me had on a leash, but I digress).

Ever since I realized Kroger was actively phasing out their "Quality Across America" fuel branding, I made sure to photograph any stations I noticed to still feature this logo.  For those who don't know, Kroger sold off their other convenience store brands, which shared this same logo, to Cumberland Farms a few years ago.  It seems like both companies have decided to ditch the design because I saw an article where the former Tom Thumb stores would also rebrand over the coming months.

Here is another view of the soon-to-be lost branding.  You will be missed!

Courtesy Houston County Property Appraiser - Kroger #407

That will conclude our tour of the Perry Millennium store.  If I am passing by before the store gets remodeled, I will try to take some more pictures and update this post.  Stay on the lookout!  I'm glad I was able to photograph this store a second time before its Kroger Spirit interior was history!

Now I will circle back to my "For Goodness Sake" comment.  This was apparently Kroger's motto during the 1990's which they used heavily in marketing campaigns.  When researching this on the internet, I also found out there is a décor package colloquially called this that still has a handful of stores floating around.  Needless to say, I found myself in the area of one of these and it may-or-may-not also be near a Sing Store . . .

That wraps up this post, so until next time!

- The Sing Oil Blogger

Street Views

Google Street View - October 2011

Google Street View - January 2016

Notice how Kroger added a fuel center since the previous Street View

Aerial Views

Historic Aerials - 1982
Future site of Kroger #407

Google Earth - January 1993
Newly built Kroger #407 and Kmart shopping center

Google Earth - November 2019
Kroger #407 with added fuel center

Additional Resources: 

Historic Aerials

Google Earth Pro

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Parcel ID: 0P38A0 013000

Houston County Property Records (Kroger)