MJP –
Drivers are taken aback by the sudden and unexplained closures of a gas station chain with hundreds of outlets.
After decades in business, the doors of Larry’s Shortstop, a family-run SQRL petrol station and convenience shop with numerous locations around Kansas, abruptly shut down.
Customers who had stopped to fill up were shocked to see that the gas pumps were also off.
There were scrawled “Closed” signs on the front doors and pumps, and employees told a local outlet that the business was empty inside, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.
According to the source, a new firm based in Louisiana purchased the SQRL fuel stations from their creator and former CEO, Joseph Blake Smith, for an undisclosed sum.
Emails sent to store managers allegedly highlighted “significant liquidity issues” as the reason for the sale.
But problems started soon after the transaction, according to C-Store Dive.
Smith and SQRL managers frequently engaged in legal conflicts, with “ongoing multimillion-million-dollar disputes” and “allegations of fraud” being the main causes cited by Arkansas Business in July.
There have been six more closures around the state since the takeover.
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After the business closed, locals lost access to more than just fuel and road trip products. They also lost another feature.
People in the area have had the option to get the current time and temperature by dialing a specific number since February 1941.
Prior to Larry’s Shortstop, it was run by the Merchants National Bank.
For thirty-one years, the store’s line remained operational thanks to weather-reporting equipment installed on the roof by WeatherFone Co.
It is unclear what will happen to the line now that Larry Jones, the store’s original proprietor, retired in 2022.
The connection was preserved by SQRL because they realized its worth, according to Randall Hinton, a spokesperson for WeathrFone Co.
News outlets reached out to Hinton following the closure to inquire about the line’s maintenance plans or whether it would be permanently closed due to a lack of operator.
Still, Hinton remained elusive.
Afterward, reporters attempted to contact the number, but according to the US Sun, there was no response.
BBQ sauce, freshly made breakfast, and helpful staff made Larry’s famous among both residents and tourists.
