Now open: Renovated Ann Arbor gas station that was sold in tax foreclosure auction
The former Packard Mini Mart at 3005 Packard reopened as a Mobil Gas Station and the Blue Apple convenience store on Friday under a new owner.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
After being closed for about a year, the station was sold in fall 2010 in Washtenaw County’s tax foreclosure auction for $288,500, according to city records. This is new owner Dave Davuluri’s first gas station location.
Davuluri said renovations have been underway at the site for months, including knocking down the walls to install big windows, fixing the electrical work and painting the interior.
“We did a lot of work to this property,” Davuluri said. “We put a lot of money and work in this.”
Davuluri compared his new convenience store at the station, the Blue Apple, to a small grocery store, stocked with items like doughnuts, a coffee bar, prepackaged sandwiches, bread and milk.
“We don’t make any money on the gas, I know that,” he said. “That’s why we made it look like a grocery store in here. People can get what they want, when they want.”
And although Davuluri faces competition with a BP station across the street, he said he plans to offer gas deals.
“I always put a cheaper price,” he said. “At least a penny.”
The BP station temporarily closed in December 2010, but has since reopened under new owners.
Among other recent gas station changes:
Just west from the Mobil and BP on the corner of Packard and Platt, the Citgo station at 2955 Packard has recently shuttered its doors, with posted gas prices dating the change to when it was more than $4 per gallon.
The long-closed Mobil gas station at 4005 Washtenaw recently reopened under a new owner.
The long abandoned gas station at 317 N. Washington St. in Ypsilanti could reopen this year after the owner received approval in March to reopen the service station.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
Ann English
Thu, Jul 7, 2011 : 12:25 a.m.
millermaple, A store clerk WAS murdered at the BP across the street some years ago, then his new car was driven to Detroit by the killer. I was just getting acquainted with the two Packard Road gas stations at the time. That crime took place before the RiteAid opened across Packard from BP.
Ann English
Thu, Jul 7, 2011 : 12:18 a.m.
Back on June 23, I drove past the Blue Apple, having time to get a long look at it before crossing through the intersection. But all I had noticed was the convenience store, not the gasoline business' name. So the Citgo across from Springbrook is closed? That station had been selling gas at higher prices than others for weeks; it used to make the least expensive gasoline list on Gas Buddy. Let's see if this Mobil station will get some mention on annarborgasprices.com or the gas price heat map for the whole 48108 zone.
Jimmy McNulty
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 11:41 a.m.
The caption under the photo reads "....reopened as a Mobile Gas Station." Does this mean that it will change locations periodically?
chapmaja
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 4:31 a.m.
<a href="http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17334_17362-93060--,00.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17334_17362-93060--,00.html</a> Read this if you think stations are making a lot of money off gasoline.
Anthony Clark
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 2:27 a.m.
The station owners don't make any money on gas. As a former gas station manager, I can assure you that is no lie. The station sells it for 5-7 cents more than they pay for it. That is barely enough to break even. Yes, someone is getting rich on four dollar a gallon gas, but it isn't the individual station owners. If you want to be angry at someone, look at Congressional Republicans who refuse to end tax subsidies to big oil companies. Public tax dollars going directly to the most profitable companies in the history of the world.
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 4:12 a.m.
A lot of people don't realize that retail gas sales have been on a downward trend for years. Why blame republicans when democrats are reducing north american oil supply in their quest for green energy?
eagleman
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 3:41 a.m.
Are they really? I've read that the profits we seen do not account for many other expenses that sharply reduce the actual profit. People make so many claims on the internet that it is hard to discern what is truth and what is fiction. And blaming only Republicans is laughable. The Democrats have had plenty of opportunity to remove the subsidies and have done little to do so.
Greggy_D
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 12:49 a.m.
"We don't make any money on the gas, I know that," he said. They are still telling this unabashed lie?
WalkingJoe
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:20 p.m.
That's great news about this station reopening. I always wondered why with so much traffic in that area why that station was closed for so long. Best wishes for huge success to Dave Davuluri. We all know running a gas station it hard work.
millermaple
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 2:02 p.m.
Hmm: i think the store clerk was murdered at the BP across the street.
Arieswoman
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:11 p.m.
Thanks for fixing the geography for the Citgo station. Nice to see you all are on the job!
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:10 p.m.
No mention of the nearby Citco closing?
grye
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
A new small business that will hopefully flourish under the new business tax codes. There are some though that wish you would pay much higher taxes. Hope that doesn't happen and force you to close.
Rob Pollard
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 2:16 a.m.
Oh please. He bought the station in Fall 2010, i.e. well before the new tax rates went into effect. They had nothing to do with him deciding to start a business, the purported reason why they were so necessary.
tdw
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
Atticus a few things. A- tell that to the person who wants the job. B- Minimum wage is $7.40/hr and C- exactly how many people do you employ ? You must be a employer to criticize someone on the wage they pay.Oh BTW how do you know what the may or may not pay ?
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:11 p.m.
Do you honestly think that giving tax breaks to a business that pays hires one minimum wage worker is going to help our economy?
Atticus F.
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:09 p.m.
Woopty doo! now this person can hire someone for $6.25/hr. I'm sure he will be thought of as a hero by the likes of you.
Paula Gardner
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
A typo was corrected in this story.
Paula Gardner
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 9:08 p.m.
Got the other 2, too. Thanks!
DBH
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.
A couple more need to be corrected: Mobil is twice misspelled as "Mobile."