Gasoline Station Geography's Found Middle Ground: A Compelling Oral Narrative

Historical appraisal of gasoline stations has previously been limited primarily to their growing association with Big Oil in the twentieth century. Research emphasis has included: branding, architecture, place-product packaging, and the attrition of small independent operators, a withering which reached a crescendo in the 1970s. The middle ground of multiple station independent ownership in regional or metropolitan settings remains largely unexplored. Based on oral sources, this paper traces the emergence and growth of a 134 - station 'empire' of independent discount retail gasoline stations in mostly, a single city. Now in their late 80s, Harold Geiger and his wife Patricia bought their first Buffalo, NY gasoline station in 1967. Creative financing added three dozen stations within a decade. Thereafter, rapid expansion relied on cheap but not "Big" oil imported from Montreal. The Geiger-owned stations achieved recognition without branding, without distinctive architecture or signage, with canny location choices, impressive price competition, early adoption of self-service, and even with a foretaste of the minimart revolution. However, their near-ascendancy in the 1970s could not survive an oil crisis.

Big Oil’s aim and advantage have always been to control the industry from oil wells to gasoline station pumps. Vertical linkage helps to set and sway prices and profits, while sheer scale inhibits competition. Harold Geiger overcame these constraints…Harold could buy gasoline much cheaper than his competitors could because of his low-price Montreal supplier…Harold’s vertical linkage through his Canadian connection outsmarted Big Oil.” “The Geiger empire fell victim to the volatile 1979 Oil crisis and the Arab oil embargo. Any gasoline exported to Canada couldn’t exit the country. Harold Geiger’s steady supply from Montreal to Toronto dried up… Big Oil sources were unsympathetic to his dilemma, as was the federal government… Harold and Patricia managed to save half a dozen stations in the following 40 years… Harold’s stations took yet another sinking hit in the late 70s when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated strict regulations to limit oil contamination in the soil and groundwater…By 2022, remaining stations had closed and were sold off – smearing the commercial landscape of the East Side of Buffalo.”