A community wanted changes at gas station. They got them as Obama station gets new name

A Columbia community is saying goodbye to Obama.

Obama the gas station, that is.

The landmark convenience store and fueling spot on Farrow Road is changing its name at the urging of nearby residents. The new name also comes with other changes, after community leaders protested the renewal of the business’ license to sell beer and wine. To one community leader, the changes are a step toward the revitalization of the Booker Washington Heights neighborhood.

“We want an atmosphere of peace, and that means working together with everybody,” said says Regina Williams, president of the Booker Washington Heights neighborhood association. “We already have disparity. That’s why we’re trying to revitalize it [Booker Washington Heights].”

But why insist on renaming the station, which was named after Barack Obama when he was president? The neighbors believe loitering at the store and the choices inside weren’t quite presidential enough.

“I’m not sure Obama or even our current president would approve of options that are not beneficial to a neighborhood,” Williams said. “Or with any person in authority. … Is it a place the governor would stop in and enjoy?”

Another Obama gas station on North Main Street with the same owner is keeping its title and look.

Williams says she was working with the former owner of the Obama station to address loitering issues and to try to increase the availability of staple goods like fresh fruits and vegetables. But when a new owner took over the convenience store in January, she found the talks less productive.

When the new owner, Josh Saleh, bought the business, he had to renew the beer and wine license with the state Department of Revenue, said Larry Marchant, an attorney for Saleh.

While the Department of Revenue found that the convenience store met all the statutory requirements for an alcohol permit, a protest was filed by Saint John Baptist Church in March against the store receiving the license. The church is across the street.

The pastor of Saint John Baptist, the Rev. Jamey O. Graham Sr., had no comment for this story. The church, founded in 1908, has been a cornerstone of the Booker Washington Heights neighborhood.

Williams, however, says the community wanted the store to address issues of people hanging out and drinking on the premises, which caused trouble in the neighborhood, and to restrict times when beer and wine could be sold out of respect for the church’s worship hours.

In early July, the store owner came to a voluntary agreement with Saint John Baptist and Booker Washington Height leaders in administrative court that allowed the business to get its license to sell beer and wine. The compromise agreed on had four points, Marchant said.

• The owner, Saleh, would make reasonable efforts to control loitering.

• Saleh would make himself available for Booker Washington Heights neighborhood meetings.

• Beer and wine sales would not be permitted between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Sunday, church service hours.

• The Obama name would be removed from the store location.

“Mr. Saleh wanted to do some of these things to show the church and neighborhood they wanted to be partners,” Marchant said.

The alcohol permit is good for a year. Then, Saleh’s compliance with the agreement could be reviewed, according to Marchant.

Williams wants her community to be business-friendly while also bringing in better and healthier choices in food and drink.

“We are not against business, we just want the businesses to be conducive to positive neighborhood activity,” Williams said. “I’m working hard to bring positive business into our neighborhood.”

Working as a neighborhood association president to influence economic development and nutrition in her community is a way to help revitalize the area, Williams said.

Booker Washington Heights, a historically black neighborhood, was once predominantly middle class. But it has declined economically in recent years as more homeowners rented their houses.

Last year, after the close of the only grocery store in the area, Columbia leaders targeted the Booker Washington Heights area for revitalization. The city supported a food co-op to go in the area, a project that is still in the works.

“We’re focusing hard on that north Columbia area, and wanting to help transition it and help not only the residents but the businesses,” Assistant City Manager Missy Gentry said in October 2017.

The business that housed the Obama gas station was built in 1990. It was a Hot Spot before taking on the name of the 44th president. The former owner of the business was arrested on tax evasion in January before selling the store. More recently, a clerk was charged with shooting a customer.

“We’d like to see staple goods in that neighborhood store such as grits, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables,” Williams saidsays. “Our neighborhood will work with the management to try and bring healthier products into that store.”

To Williams, it’s about having a choice of fruits or candies, cheaper wines and craft beer. Right now, she doesn’t see her corner store offering those options.

“We are taking responsibility for our lives,” Williams said. “It’s just a small step at a time with everybody working together.”

This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 6:14 PM.