Spur/Turbo Beach Variety...What happened?

Hi,

I was in Hamilton back in 1999. I will be visiting the beach strip on Thanksgiving weekend. I noticed the last time I was there that my father's old gas station shut down. I remember he sold it back in 1987. Can anyone tell me what happened afterwards? It was thriving back in the day when he sold it. Why did it shut down?

It has been shut down for many years. The back was a garage.
In the last couple week's, it was all torn down and it's being made into a parking lot for Dynes from what I understand.
There is a picture in one of the other forums. I'll try to find it for you.

From what I have been told, yes Dynes is expanding their parking area and it looks a whole lot better than it did a month or two ago. I will post another pic tomorrow when I have time. Back in 1987 there was still at least two gas outlets still open on the Beach Strip and a third could of been, so getting gas wasn't a problem.
From what I remember when Radcliff took over your old place, he no longer sold gas and closed the variety store in the front, he just did repairs in the back as there were other places on the Beach that sold gas and another variety store. Slowly the place became a big mess with scrap cars all over the place and drums of old oil, anti-freeze and no knows what out the back. The owners of Dynes cleaned up the huge mess and Radcliff is now in business up on Lloyd Street, off of Gage.
The Texaco was located across from the school playground and did automotive repairs and still sold gas, but their underground storage tanks always leaked and their gas seemed below par because there was water in it. When they closed, I'm guessing in the late 1980's, the building was demolished, but tanks were just left as they were. About a year ago the tanks were removed and now you see that an environmental company is trying to clean the soil with a labyrinth of pipes stuck in the ground, which pump heated water (my guess), so that condos can be built there and in the surrounding area.
The BP/Beach Station was the last gas outlet left on the Beach and was doing well until a couple of strikes at the Lift Bridge. To avoid any delays to shipping and other boat traffic, the government at that time had the bridge raised to the top and left it there for weeks at a time until the strike by government workers was over. That basically stop most people from driving that way, including any business from Eastport Drive and that put them out of business. The station was then leased to big oil companies who left it closed until being sold last summer.
Attached are a few pics of the Beach gas stations as they looked in 1980, thanks again the Moira Neil.

This is what is left today.

You were right.
An employee from Dynes came into work today. I asked him about that property. I just asked if it was theirs now and he said Yes. So, I would assume it's for parking. I didn't have a chance to ask him what they were doing with it. But I did ask if it belonged to Dynes.

Fading Memories.

Thanks for the pics guys. So many of my childhood memories were formed on that property. I lost my first tooth there and learned to ride a 2 wheeler among many others. I told my father about the demolishing of his old gas station and he didn't seem to care. He said "Life goes on". I will be coming up there thanksgiving weekend and will take some pictures for myself and I will share them all when i can.

thanks again

You are welcome, see you when you come back. And your father is right, "life goes on".
Is that the US or the Canadian Thanksgiving???

You know, another Gas station down here would be great. Its a real pain if you have to travell from the Beach onto the QEW. You have that Pioneer station up Woodward or that Esso station in Burlington on Lakeshore. Then you have to back track back to the QEW.

When I moved down here from the city it looked like there was a gas station once at the far end of the strip (closest to the bridge), how long has that been gone?

Yes we do need a gas station down here, the last one was the one near the canal, I would guess that it's been gone about nine years.