Abandoned Auto - Econo Lube n Tune and Brakes - Denver, CO

Hooray! Another replacement story!

Since I'm still nowhere near finished with the stories I've been working on for the last month or so...

 Have some more filler!

I haven't yet come up with a cool gimmick like the Random Top Loader series, for making baseball card filler stories. Perhaps I need to figure out how the old Dungeons & Dragons dice could help me select an abandoned building from the image library, to write about quickly, when I just need to finish anything!

Rolling no dice and just picking it out as I was going through the photo archives, here's...

Man... That vinyl is cracking and shrinking bad...

I'm going to blame that on the terrible choice in fonts.

However, if you say Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes out loud, it almost sounds poetic!

Subtle unassuming building in a part of town that I was rarely in.

Wouldn't have even noticed that Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes had recently closed, had I not been stopped at a red light at Iliff Avenue. I never knew they were open. In fact, I have zero memories of this building. This was the morning of May 13, 2017. I made note of the location and continued on my way.

Those days, the only reason I would have even been around the Monaco and Evans retail zone, was for occasional wellness checks on the abandoned KMart. Which wouldn't be demolished until after I moved back to Minnesota in 2018. Despite it closing in 2012. 

You couldn't see much at this KMart anymore. But the ongoing state of decay involving the front entrance doors, was compelling.

Even when it was still open, there was no reason for me to drive all the way out here to shop at a KMart. It was 1998 when I last was inside this location. The Englewood KMart was just a few blocks from our apartment. And the Englewood KMart didn't close until October, 2017! 

Newsland (the coolest store in the history of everything ever) closed the South Monaco location in the spring of 2000. Their sudden closure eliminated all retail reason to ever drive out this way. Monaco Parkway was a road that you took to get other places, not as a destination on it’s own.

Even if you needed a lube job...

On October 1st, 2017, you couldn’t get that done here.

The sign may lead you to think differently...

But the shop was empty.

Devoid of all Lube, Tunes or Brakes. 

Back when there was Lube, Tunes and Brakes inside, they painted "open" on the upper left pane of glass. Most of the other windows had cracking and peeling shades applied to them. Makes sense, the sun rising on the east horizon would be shining inside the shop all morning and afternoon.

While they seemingly did an okay job of scraping away the open off the window, that ghostly blue open is still completely readable on the white interior wall. Almost as clear as my silhouette, appearing in the door. The one not marked with an oil change special.

I like this picture!

Look! A toilet!

They’re out of paper too…

So the lobby wasn’t very exciting. There are three bay doors here, presumably for Lube, Tunes and Brakes customers to park inside for Lube, Tunes and Brakes services. Surprisingly no tagging or broken panes of glass appear on the building anywhere. 

I’d say it had to have closed recently for that to happen, but Econo Lube was still closed when I drove by and took my first photo, back in May. Even using my patented super "bare minimum" research skills, I wasn't able to find out when Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes ceased operations. 

View of the oil changing “basement” for Lube, Tunes and Brakes work.

This way, you didn’t have to crawl on the floor to do Lube, Tunes and Brakes work on cars.

Genius!

Stairs down into the secret Lube, Tunes and Brakes basement appear on the left. This would provide access to service the underside of two cars at once. I don’t remember what was in the third door, because I didn’t take a picture of it.

I regret that.

Rounding the corner and looking across the parking lot.

Oh look! The old abandoned King Soopers is now being converted into a Chuze Fitness.

Back around 1997, I remember stopping here for some groceries on my way home from Newsland, on my way home from Overpriced Art School. It was a smaller store with a cramped, outdated layout. Inside was a patchwork of minor upgrades to the vintage 1980 fixtures and decor. (Which was only 17 years old, during my only visit to this King Soopers.)

I'd assumed this Soopers had recently closed. Perhaps only a year or two, prior to my October, 2017, Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes photo shoot. Once again practicing my patented super "bare minimum" research skills, I found out that King Soopers actually closed this location in November, 2010. 

Shows how often I've been around here in the last two decades...

Oh yeah, here's the backside of Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes.

The exit doors for the three oil changing stations, then three single bays, with only one door for each. 

I didn't continue my walk around this building, from this point. After taking this shot, I figured that was good enough. Simply put, there was nothing about this building that held a great deal of interest. When I took these pictures, Four Baggers and Foreclosures was just over two months old. I remember thinking that this would make a good filler story, even then. There's just not enough to it to dig into, on a larger scale.

So there you go.

Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes. 

Nothing great, just a perfectly acceptable abandoned building story.

Time to go home.

After we appreciate the pink and teal colored Majestic Cleaners, a block over. I was able to take a decent picture of it, while waiting for the red light, turning back onto South Monaco Parkway. The building isn't abandoned, just awesome.

March 29, 2018. The last time I drove by Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes, before moving out of state. Looking a little sadder than it did six months earlier. Several garage door windows are now covered by plywood. According to the Googles, six months later, all of the windows will be covered by plywood. Sadly, that was to be expected with all that fresh exposed glass, sitting open to any and all vandals...

Guess my photos of an intact Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes, documented just a brief moment in time, in the history of abandoned independent Lube n Tune & Brakes shops, in an unmessed up sorta way. Certainly nothing to get excited about.

Oh, and Chuze Fitness is now open. 

Wonder how long before that Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes building is just flattened to make room for a newer and bigger retail business. Conveniently located property, on the corner of a reasonably high profile intersection, gotta be some demand for that?

So Googles, tell me what's there now... 

Well, Econo Lube n Tune & Brakes has basically just re-opened. Under new ownership and the new name of... A&T Tires and Car Service. They appear to be busy during the November, 2022, Googles Street View Van Drive By...

So that's a good thing I guess.

Stop by and get lubed.

Tell them Captain Honkass at Four Baggers and Foreclosures sent you. 

And watch the look of bewilderment that comes back at you.

They may even give you a discount!

(No they won't...)