WELLMAN

Small towns need oil change and tire shops, especially when residents’ 50-mile round-trip commutes burn oil and rubber like it’s going out of fashion. For a while Wellman lost theirs when Reggie Patterson closed up shop a few years ago, but now the station’s service to the community is restored, thanks to Chris Miller.

Whether it be via nature or nurture, Miller is a car guy. He grew up working in his dad’s auto shop, and after high school he worked for a couple years at Bulltown Repair in Kalona.

Like any good kid who seems to be following a prescribed path laid down by his parents, he briefly tried other things, like working on hog barns.

“I didn’t enjoy that,” he says.

Fortunately for him, the opportunity to purchase Patterson’s service station, located on 9th Avenue across from the post office, came along pretty quickly, and he jumped at it.

“I came in here and asked Reggie if he would want to sell it to me, and he agreed,” Miller says.

That deal done, Miller rounded up his older brother Dustin to assist him in the venture, and today the pair is doing all manner of repair work inside the dual garage.

“We’re just about a full-service shop,” Miller says. “We’re doing everything from oil changes, brakes, suspension work, tires. We’ll tear into engines some. We’ve done some timing chain jobs already . . . We’re pretty much just about doing everything.”

Working with his brother is “pretty fun,” but making the leap from repairing cars to running a business is “a lot different. There’s definitely more stress and a lot more responsibility, but I do enjoy it,” he says. “I’m learning more and more every day about running a business.”

Miller has had a steady roster of customers coming in since The Station opened in October, but customers needing service won’t have to wait long to secure an appointment – perhaps a day or two, he says. Those in need of emergency tire repair can often be accommodated immediately.

The Station has a nice indoor seating area for those who don’t mind waiting the short time it takes for an oil change or tire repair. And for those who need to leave their vehicle for lengthier work, Miller has a loaner car available – a service those without a second vehicle certainly appreciate.

And the community generally is appreciative that Miller has opened The Station.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people that they’re excited that something’s happening in this spot where Reggie ran a similar business for a long time,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of positive feedback about opening up shop here.”

And Miller himself enjoys running the station.

“What I like about it is the work, and I enjoy talking to people and meeting new people, and helping people out,” he says. “That’s been a lot of fun. That’s just something I enjoy.”

But ‘The Station’ – how did he come up with that name?

“I really didn’t want something that had my personal name in it,” Miller recalls, but after that, his memory is vague. “I think me and my girlfriend were talking about it, and all of a sudden – I don’t even remember if it was me or her – one of us just thought of The Station. Just simple, clean, and we went with it,” he says.

We’re glad he did, because a clean, simple station is exactly what a small town like Wellman needs to keep its residents cruising down the highways, maximizing their miles per gallon.

The Station is located at 301 9th Avenue, Wellman. To make an appointment for service, call 319-646-3001. Hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.