North End Gas Station Remains a 'Family Business' in Modern Times

The Irving gas station, located at 3302 East Main Road, is a one-stop modern facility.

“This is the way the industry is going. There will be no more 'mom and pops’ around eventually. It’s unfortunate but that’s just the way it is. One-stop shopping is what people want,” owner George Giacobbi said. “Portsmouth needed a store of this size and quality."

Giacobbi works for Drake Petro as a territory sales manager and has been in the petroleum industry for more than 20 years. He said Drake Petro is one of the largest wholesalers on the East Coast and is based in Providence.

Although the station may look and feel like a corporate store, Giacobbi made a point that this is a family business, a family business he hopes to hand down to his children, he said.

According to Giacobbi, 80 percent of brand-name gas stations like his are privately-owned.

He also said he isn’t a newcomer to Portsmouth, just starting a business to compete against well-established others.

“My wife Christine and I have lived here for 35 years. My children Nicholas and Joseph attended Portsmouth schools,” said Giacobbi. “I even owned the gas station located in this same location as this one in the 70s and 80s. It was in the building we tore down."

As far as competition with other area businesses, he has established a gas program with . It works the same way as the major supermarket gas incentives.

“We established a gas program with Clements.' For every $300 you spend at the market, you get a $5 gift card for gas. That’s about 31 cents off per gallon,” he said.  

“When you spend $500, you get a $10 gift card and that’s about 62 cents off per gallon. We wanted to work together to help Portsmouth residence stay in Portsmouth."

The Irving store is 4,100 square feet and hosts four co-ventures, as well as a dining area for guests.

A co-venture, said Giacobbi, is a privately-owned business that rents space within the building or on property. He said he doesn’t have any say or direct involvement with these co-ventures.

The four co-ventures include Honey Dew Donuts, Boss Man Burgers and Pit Stop Sandwiches, as well as New China restaurant in a separate building in the corner of the property.

All together, the station employs four people and the co-ventures about 10 more.

Giacobbi said he worked closely with the town’s business director Bill Clark over nearly two years of planning and construction. They even convinced the state to install a sign at the intersection of Turnpike Avenue and East Main Road to direct traffic toward the business district.

He also said Portsmouth’s Planning Board, Zoning Board and Town Council were “fabulous.”

However, he wished the state would lower the gas, sales, alcohol and cigarette taxes, he said.

“They need to run it like a small independent business runs,” he said.

All-in-all, Giacobbi wouldn’t change a thing as far as locating and building his brand new superstation.

“We’re very happy to be here in Portsmouth and we plan to be here for a long time to come,” he stated.