Shell Station on Route 1 at Montgomery Road: 'Out of Gas'

Blank tiles where the prices used to be on 's sign haven't deterred some customers. On Dec. 30, well over a week after the pumps were covered up and prices taken down, a few cars were still rolling into the station hoping to refuel. As soon as they realized there was no gas at the gas station, the drivers hopped right back onto Route 1 or Montgomery Road, where a handful of other stations are at the ready.

The Shell station's Manager Ade Ba stated that the location is still in business and has no plans of closing. All he would say, when Patch asked for more details, was this: "There's no gas." The owner of the Shell station could not be reached for comment.

But employees at neighboring businesses have other ideas as to why the station is on hiatus. "They're between owners," said the owner of a gas station nearby. "The dealer ran into some problems, and if a transfer isn't preplanned—especially around the holidays when it's hard to get [transactions] through—you can run into problems."

Did the neighboring station's owner think Shell would change to another franchise or go out of business? "It will stay Shell. It's good real estate," he said. "It's a good market and a good neighborhood." The gas station is located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Montgomery Road.

Due to Shell's time-out, at least one neighboring gas station owner said he was experiencing a spike in business. "I'm enjoying the extra business," the owner admitted, "but it will go back to the way it was." At another station, staff told Patch that business has remained steady and unaffected because "Shell was never a competitor—their prices are always at least 5 or 6 cents higher than the and " nearby. Those employees, too, had heard the rumors of new ownership. They added that there is still a mechanic in house at the Shell, which Patch confirmed, and the convenience store is still in business. For now, the only thing missing is gas.