Proudly Supporting St. Cloud’s Automotive Repair Services Since 1979

As a boy, Simon would watch as people would keep going into the tiny station without it getting crowded, he recalled in an interview before his death 11 years ago.

"Long before Jack had it, it used to be used as a speakeasy," said his wife, Ruth Simon.

During Prohibition, customers could find bootleg whisky by going into the dark basement, which was carved out to the edge of St. Germain at the time. She said there was a little door they'd have to duck through and another with a sliding peephole. There was also an escape door level with the street in case the police came.

Previous owner Ron Geiselhart remembers similar stories from other gas stations and repair shops where he worked. At one in Fairmont, he was told the service members would slip a bottle under his seat while they whisked the floor mats clean. He also remembers working at a St. Cloud gas station with a liquor still beneath it.

The 1735 West St. Germain station is one of the few remaining in the St. Cloud area. Some have found new uses, like the Vacuum Cleaner Center on Division Street, and some are still operating.

The former Jack's Service Station is notable for its quaint cottage style, which helped it blend in with the nearby neighborhood.

The gas station was originally built in 1927 by Archie Hirt for $3,000. It was known as St. Cloud Oil and Grease Company until 1930. There were other owners in those early years when the station had no garage for repair work. They created a pit that cars could be driven over so they could work underneath them.

Based on the dates of newspapers insulating the windows in the station's original garage, Ron Geiselhart figured that part was built during World War II, about the time Simon took over in 1942.

Simon worked seven days a week, up to 16 hours a day, pumping gas, fixing brakes, changing tires, installing new spark plugs and oil, doing the books, and keeping his shop orderly.

"I think it was the cleanest station in town," his wife said. At that time, a customer could get 9 gallons of gas, clean windshields, and oil and tire checks for just $2.

Simon's health, escalating gasoline prices, stricter environmental requirements, and the onset of competition from large highway gas stations led to his retirement and the closing of the longtime St. Germain station.

Ron Geiselhart was its next operator, drawn to its manageable size that fit his shoestring budget. He has tried to preserve the station's unique look despite the lack of pumps and the need to add another garage to repair today's more oversized vehicles.

It's a tribute to a bygone era when there was time for a friendly chat with an attendant who cleaned your windows and handed out candy to kids.

Current owner Matt Geiselhart added two additional bays in 2024 and kept with the original design style to blend with the neighborhood. "We tried to keep the same design," Geiselhart said.