Day 4,448—Goodbye to Station 3—

 

Start time: 8:17 a.m.

Weather: Low 70s, wind 4.9 mi/h, Humidity 75%

        I ran from the car shop to my house today. It is why I started late and didn’t go my normal distance. I went by Station 3 on my way and stopped to take a picture of their “closed forever” sign. I knew it had closed already, but I hadn’t seen it in person. When it first opened, we went there almost once a week, but the menu kept changing and their hours kept getting funky, so we stopped going as often. It sucks because the food they make is good, and it is a unique vegan place that provides a kind of American pub food experience. The one staple I will miss was the Potato Skin, which looked and, in my mind, tasted exactly like the ones they had at T.G.I. Fridays back in the day, so it was nostalgic. They also had the best vegan soft-serve ice cream I could get anywhere. Now, the closest place I know of to get similar stuff is Bombay Food Junkies, which is about 20 minutes away.

        At the same time, I am sad that this place has closed. I am also not surprised. A few months ago, I declared it inevitable after a not-so-great experience there: I went about half an hour before they said they were closed, and they had already shut down. I just thought. It says on your website you're open until 9 p.m., but you close at 8:30. Am I supposed to just know that? I used to work in food service, and it wasn’t fun having to take orders all the way up to closing, but I knew my boss would be furious with me if I just stopped taking food orders an hour before we closed, so I could get out on time. I still remember customers who arrived at the coffee shop I worked at 15 minutes late, and we opened the store to serve them, even though it was closed. It is odd because I feel like I have been in this relationship with Station 3 for a while, and I noticed that things weren’t going well, and they were making some classic mistakes, but who knows. The restaurant business is hard, and even if you do everything right, it doesn’t mean you will be successful. I wonder how many restaurant businesses are routinely profitable. It seems like almost all the cool places around here have closed over time. Still, no one has opened the fast-food place I want to open. The closest to it is Rush Bowl, but I would love to open a place called FRESH FRUIT FAST or 3F. My idea is that it only sells fresh fruit ready to eat. I know it isn’t a super complicated idea, but no one sells fresh fruit at convenience stores around here. I get why, and I know 3F wouldn’t be profitable for years if I were able to open it. And then it would depend on whether I am right that people really want fresh fruit. I know I do. I would love to go out and buy a nicely cut-up watermelon or fresh strawberries, cut up. The closest place is the grocery store, but once I am inside. I am just thinking, why not buy a whole watermelon?