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Family-owned store in Nibley has been a convenience for the past 20 years By
Julie Sulunga NIBLEY -- Bob's Gas Garage and Groceries may look like just another gas station convenience store with its fountain drinks, white tile linoleum floors and an array of items from cat food to oil lubrications, but it's an anchor in this little town. "There is never a day that goes by when someone does not come into the store and say, "I am sure glad you are here," store manager Becky Johnson says. Bob's is a family-owned business and the only store in the town of Nibley for the past 20 years. It's located at 25 W. 3200 South. It has been there since Bob Harris decided to buy it 20 years ago. The store was originally on 400 North in Logan. When Harris decided to buy, the owners told him the building had to be moved as soon as possible. Harris made the necessary arrangements to move the store on a big truck out to Nibley where his father had some farm land. "It was late fall by the time the store was moved to Nibley so it just sat on the corner for the winter," said Johnson. "In the spring we started to work on remodeling the store and get it up and running." Bob and his wife Virginia had 11 children, so all of the children worked in the store while growing up. Most of the grandchildren worked in the store, too. "Our family alone makes up about 90 percent of the employees that run the store," Johnson said. "We have to have some employees that are not family so that when we have family reunions, we don't have to close the store down. Someone is still there to run it." Jean McPhie has been working at Bob's for about 18 years with one five-year absence. She works two days a week and said the Harris family has always been more than willing to help her out with any scheduling problems. "I have always enjoyed working here," she said. "The Harris family is a really nice family. I feel like family here. I also like to work with people and serve people." The Harris sons now run the garage. The shop does state inspections and they tow someone if their car breaks down. It is a convenience for the people of Nibley to have the shop there so they don't have to go all the way to Hyrum or Logan for little things like an oil change. Bob's not only has the amenities of a convenience store and service station, it also includes a dealership for U-Haul. A couple of years ago, the Harris family had to make the hard decision of whether they should sell the shop or keep it running. "Either decision was not going to be an easy one for us because we were going to lose out either way," Johnson said. A law passed in 1999 required basements used for storage to have their gasoline tanks upgraded as a safety precaution. It was an expensive improvement so the Harris family had to decide whether the store was still worth keeping. A lot of the grandchildren were grown up and living their own lives. The upgrade was expensive, but the family would also lose a lot of tradition and money by selling the store. After much deliberation, they decided to do the upgrade. Two years later, they are still in business and less likely to have any leaks in the pipes than they were before. Bob's is not open of Sundays and doesn't sell alcohol, a decision they have made because of the morals they set for themselves. "We would also feel guilty if someone bought alcohol from us, started drinking and driving, then they got into an accident because of it," Johnson said. Bob's is still a mainstay of the town that is its home. |
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