"It'll be back on time this fall," says Perusse.And regardless of time in clock-form or in terms of life, still he goes on. It's just an hour off, thanks to daylight savings time, and how complicated it is to change it. In addition to its regular clientele, Perusse says the station is also a frequent place to pause for tourists traveling Route 66, who stop and take photos - including of the aforementioned clock, which does work and tell time. Of course, other things have changed in unexpected ways. "Ain't nobody left to sell it to now," he says, since with the rise in chains, small service stations needing fuel are far and few between. He technically still sells fuel wholesale, but the only place he sells it today is to himself. "If they decide to 'take' it, they'll figure out a way to do that." "I had two rows of pumps, but they took out the last one (when West Bypass was widened). We used to change oil years ago, but the EPA took care of that," says Perusse, the latter tied to increased regulations. "We used to do tires years ago, but kind of got away from that. In terms of the station, he talks of the days when he used to have more pumps, and more services. Back when he moved there as a child, it wasn't even in the city limits. One is the development of that part of Springfield. While many of those faces have been the same for years, Perusse has seen other things change. They all preferred to come here than go to the modern service station across the street.Īnd they help the fan with the breeze by shooting it with Perusse, who says the customers are one of the perks of his job. Another talks about how things are going at work. An older man is so comfortable that he simply reaches up and takes some cigarettes from the old-fashioned rack above the counter to pay for them. No customer seems to be random all seem to be known to Perusse. "We've got a lot of female customers who come here just for that," says Perusse.Ĭustomers can grab other items from the store's shelves, such as snack items (including at least four different types of jerky), sweet treats, beer, and candy bars stored in the cooler to keep them from melting in the summer heat.īut the majority of items on the shelves are vehicle-related. And as some folks pull up, he goes outside to help - even pumping gas for his customers, a "full service" remnant infrequently seen these days. Some want gasoline, while others come seeking other products including diesel, off-road fuel, propane and kerosene. "Used to, you could kind of tell when it was going to be busy, but you can't anymore," says Perusse. "Everybody knew the name," he says.Īs the clock turns, customers begin come one right after another. "Never dreamed I'd own this corner."Įven though he's now owned Danny's longer than the namesake Danny did, he never considered changing what it's called. "I've lived within just a little ways of here (basically) all my life," says Perusse. "Took it over in 1973 when I leased it."After buying it outright a few years later, he's been behind the counter ever since. I came to work for Danny, probably, in 1970," says Perusse. "It was here several years before I got here. That hire ultimately led to Perusse's ownership of the station: When his brother went to the Navy, Perusse took his spot. The "bypass" route, as it was known, took travelers down Kearney to today's West Bypass, where they turned south and headed to Chestnut and right out of town.Ī few years after that, Perusse's brother began working at Danny's. It was the heyday of Route 66, and the historic road went right by the service station as it headed west. That said, while it's unknown for sure, it's likely this one began in the late 1950s or early '60s. However, Daniel also owned at least two other service stations in the area at various times. Historical accounts do mention "Danny's" in the late 1950s. Perusse doesn't know when Daniel started the stop, and it's difficult to tell from records when it started. Initially, Perusse came to work for the store's original owner and namesake, E.L. In just a couple of months, he'll be 72."I've been here for 47 years," says Perusse.
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