Abandoned Gas - Go For It Gas - Blaine, MN

Go For It Gas...

I never did.

Not there anyways. 

Was aware this had been a gas station since my earliest days as a passenger in my parents cars. But they never stopped here when gas was needed. It was just another of those places that you never really notice it until it's gone. Well, I noticed it and saved it. So anybody can remember it, now that it's gone.

Please note, I know nothing about this place other than reacting to what I saw when I took the pictures. As always, I welcome any additional information you can add.

This story was started back in November of 2016, with plans on it being part of a Minnesota vacation themed issue of Wasted Quarter. (Nearly a full year before this blog was founded.) That issue, was to include a series of photos and short stories about some of the abandoned properties I photographed around town, in August, 2016, before going back to Colorado. 

This included pictures of not only Go For It Gas in Blaine, plus a former Marathon gas station...

And a former Tom Thumb convenience store. 

Both located several blocks to the northwest, in Coon Rapids. 

I took an assortment of photos of all three buildings, knowing they'd likely be gone before I made it back to town. Less than a year later, Marathon was demolished in favor of a much needed widening the outdated triangle intersection at Foley and Northdale. Go For It Gas would be demolished around that same time, in future favor of dirty clothes. Two more old gas stations down. This style of building, so prevalent in the 1950's, are rapidly disappearing from the towns they once served.

Former Tom Thumb likely wasn't going to see demolition, since the land isn't necessarily premium. It just needed to find the right niche business to open back up. After many years and multiple attempts at re-kindling convenience store magic, it reopened as Tracks Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Beyond a few incomplete first drafts and a detailed outline of the issue, nothing else was ever done with it. This particular story was about 50 pictures and a couple of notes typed out. Those are blended into what I've updated. Bet you can't pick them out!

So here's the first story of that Northdale/Foley/University "trilogy", Go For It Gas.

Starting with it still being open, on September 24, 2011.

Marathon-esque canopy looks recently painted, that blue isn't very sun-faded, given that summer just ended.

Five years later, summer hasn't ended yet.

August 7, 2016. The time for Go For It Gas has ended, and the station is now permanently closed. I'm in town for just over a week, before returning to Denver. Going to have to make time for a detailed stop for pictures!

It wasn't known at the time, but Go For It Gas was going to become a Tumble Fresh Laundry, in a couple of years. 

A similar fate was set for the dine-in Pizza Hut in Coon Rapids. 

I've never been to the Blaine Tumble Fresh, but in December 2020, our washing machine broke and I had to take our laundry to the Coon Rapids Tumble Fresh, once a week, for a couple of months. I kind of enjoyed sitting at the table, writing in my notepad, while waiting for the machines to do their thing. At least I could run multiples and be done with all of it and back home, in 3 hours.

On November 13, 2018, the Blaine Tumble Fresh, at the intersection on University and 105th was opening soon. 

But who cares about that?

I'm more interested in going back to Go For It Gas!

Not when it was still open, as it was on September 25, 2012...

How's about August 9, 2016!

That's the afternoon I pulled onto the property and did my typical walk around, snapping pictures of all points of interest (though I never get enough). Gotta love "Smoke Shop" advertised with 2" letter decals. I'm sure you could read that while driving north on University...

Southwest corner of the Go For It Gas station property, taken while standing next to their sign. 

Looking north up University Avenue, while standing in roughly the same position. University Avenue serves as the border between Blaine (to the east) and Coon Rapids (to the west). Ideally, Go For It Gas would have been in Coon Rapids, to stay consistent with the other two, for story's sake. Still you could stand on the sidewalk and pee into Coon Rapids. So it's close enough.

And something I would highly recommend.

Neither the pumps nor underground fuel tanks had been removed by this point. All of the pumps were wrapped in orange netting. Keeping them warm during those cold August, Minnesota nights. 

Because of the angles and placement of the canopy, I wasn't able to get a good picture of the un-removed sign. So this zooming in will have to work. I never seem to think of it when I'm taking these pictures, but this is the perfect example of not taking enough.

Some very worn out an old pavement layers going on here. The closest bay door was once used as a car wash. As these style gas stations moved away from on site mechanic bays, most of them converted that space into car washes. 

Stations like this one opted for both a car wash and extra retail space, in what once was two service bays.

From the window next to the door labeled: "Enter". Go For It Gas was one of my favorite kinds of abandoned buildings. One that has recently closed. Wide open windows to allow a look inside. Lots of interesting artifacts are left around. Like that hanging sunglasses display, underneath the Pyramid cigarettes advertisement.

Seeing as there are no walk-in or front load coolers, visible around the store, all bottled drinks must have been stored in free standing coolers. Which have already been removed (probably sold). You can see markings on the floor, on the left side of this photo, that give clues to possible cooler placement.

Looking in the exit door. Which was marked: "Please use other door." Well, they're both locked, so what am I supposed to do? This photo is dominated by a large magazine rack on the left, coffee room in front.

Shuffling over a few inches... Coffee room in front, cashier counter on the right.

Let's get a better look at that coffee room...

Now where does Go For It Gas get their coffee from?

Moving over to the next window, and peering into the behind the sales counter area.

Ooooh! Hand written notes!

A box of beef jerky, $36.00!

Not a whole lot of room behind the counter. 

If I wasn't working alone, this would probably freak me out. 

View from the cashier area, cigarette racks, cash register and gasoline POS, lottery racks. A wall of coolers was a likely backdrop. With pegboard shelves, display racks of candy bars and that sweet Magazine Stand. behind it. 

I bet Go For It Gas used to sell porno!

I don't know why there's a period after stand. It's not an abbreviation. It's not a number. Nor is it a complete sentence. However, that font is an interesting take on Comic Sans!

In all my years of Gas Station work, I did have a stretch of time where I worked with a full magazine rack...

It was wonderful!

Cherry Knolls "Kicks" 66, in Littleton, Colorado, had this modestly sized magazine rack. Over the course of my five nights of overnight shifting per week, I read every magazine that showed up. There wasn’t much business in this brand new gas station, so I had even more free time, than I did at the legendary 99 Spillihp, that served as the prequel. (Parts one and two.) So much of my nights were spent sitting on the counter, writing in my notebook, wishing I could have a visit from Trav, Dr. John, (Name Redacted) Star, Tokes or any combination of members of the band Posh.

Occasionally, I placed copies of Wasted Quarters amongst the "Kicks" 66 magazines. I even sold a couple that way. In case you've ever wondered, Wasted Quarters rang up as Deli Express Double Charbroil and Cheese, which I ate after they left!

Keen eyes will peer through the blurriness to notice the issue of Wasted Quarter, next to Prevention Magazine, with the Beavis and Butthead cover that I wrote about a few weeks ago!

Just to the right of the cashier area is a scary looking unisex public restroom. With the missing doorknob, now closed off by padlock. Obviously I'm not getting inside, but what can I see through that missing doorknob hole?

Pink tile?! I don't think this could have been a more creepy color... And while I can’t see the floor, I’m betting there’s a chalk outline on it. No way could I ever dump here. Paranoia over being stabbed mid-poo would overwhelm needed concentration.

That gave me the chills. I better look at Flowerama, on the south side of 105th. I don't have any better pictures of it, but Flowerama has since closed up shop. The building was renovated and Dominos Pizza moved two blocks south, into this building.

Okay, that's better. Now I can get back to Go For It.

Those pumps are incredibly old. They have to date back to the early 1980's at least.

Now where was that coffee from again?

As I was preparing my walk around the back of the station, this guy pulled up...

I noticed drivers were using the lot as a shortcut to make right turns onto University, while bypassing the lights at and 105th. One truck cutting through, almost hit my car, which was parked along the fence on the southeast corner of the property.

But that's not what this guy was doing.

He was asking me what I was doing.

Usually when I'm taking pictures of a place like this, my goal is to be there and done in under 10 minutes. I don't want to draw attention, just get my pictures and leave. It's pretty rare that anyone ever says anything to me. But in the under 15 minutes that I was walking around the Go For It Gas, I had THREE PEOPLE ask me what I was doing.

This is unheard of.

Told the first guy that it was going to be torn down and replaced by a Dunkin Donuts. I'm almost positive that I read that somewhere before I stopped to take these pictures. He answered back with something positive, then drove off. A few minutes later, a small guy in a big truck asked. So I told him that I was checking out the property for Super America, as they were interested in moving 4 blocks south to build a new station on this corner. 

But this guy got my best explanation. Since he ruined my picture, I told him that the original owner had sold the land a few months ago, but had recently re-purchased the gas station, at a substantial profit. I'm here to give them an idea of what it would take to reopen Go For It Gas.

Not sure if he believed me.

Behind Go For It. This was a pretty small building.

Where someone discarded a tacky t-shirt: "You don't have to be nuts to work in the bar biz, but it helps." 

Yee-Haw Frosty Mug!

The door on this corner of the building used to be the car wash entrance. MANY years ago. The token acceptor/keypad cash taking machine is long gone as well. You can see the anchor for it, between those yellowish poles. 

But they never took the car wash rules sign down. 

Remember to remove your CB Antenna!

And some tagger thinks you're an idiot.

I'm assuming if you don't choose to remain in your vehicle.

Amongst the Go For It Litter, was a recently dropped box from the $5 Pizza, a few doors up in the stripmall to the north. That stupid bar t-shirt is in the distance, with a big buncha empty mini-liquor bottles, peppering the broken pavement pieces, amongst them. 

Well, that's really all there is to see here, so it's time to go.

I've attracted too much attention as it is. 

A week later, we were getting ready to drive back to Colorado.

This would be my last photo of Go For It Gas, before the building was demolished. 

I don't know when it was demolished, but it was gone before October 31, 2017.

Which was the next time I drove by the property.

It was still gone on January 16, 2018.

Only now the property was covered in snow.

But on June 22, 2018, something was Going For It here...

By July 1, 2018, actual holes were being dug!

That shovel did indeed, Go For It.

We found that out because we had a sudden craving for cheap pizza that's also not very good. Feeling inspired by an abandoned gas station that's no longer here, Laura and I chose to let $5 Pizza ruin our intestines for a night.

$5 Pizza posted a whiteboard message informing you that only one pizza on the menu is actually $5. If you want toppings, It's a $6, $7 or $8 Pizza. And who wants to answer the phone and say all that? And who wants to work there and absorb all of the customer complaints that decision will fester up from the public?

Horrible idea to name your business as the price you charge.

Either you never change your prices, or you're guilty of false advertising.

$7 Pizza wasn't bad. But I've never gone back. Today the price is no longer a part of their name. Now it's just known as Mr. Delicious. Who has a far more diverse menu than $5, $6, $7 or $8 Pizza. 

July 27, 2018. Tumble Fresh is taking shape, but who cares?

It's just an uninteresting chain of Laundromat's. 

An abandoned Go For It Gas is endlessly more fascinating.

Sad that these types of independent gas stations are dropping like flies. Unable to compete with corporate chain convenience stores, who are able to move the high mark-up convenience items at a more practical rate than these small indy operations. It's what eventually killed the 99 Spillihp, after corporate ownership dropped them to private ownership, years back.

The small gas stations can't compete on gas prices alone. You have to sell something with it, in order to make any money. But with the same products available everywhere, how do you bring enough business in? Fewer and fewer are surviving, so the answer is becoming; You can't. Ultimately why there continues to be less and less of these 1940's and 50's style gas stations around anymore.

I'm going to miss them.