Texas Country Almanac

August 10, 2009

Service the Old Fashioned Way

HENLEY,TX--Texas has always had its share of talented and inovative characters. Driving south on U.S. 59 from Texarkana we took a lonely blacktop road to the right just before reaching Carthage. It took us to the small town, Henley. Little is left of what Henley once was, when timber barons shipped their product from the nearby railway. Today only a couple of houses, a post office and Doyle Gilcrist's combination gas station and store remain. We desided to look Doyle up and have a cold Dr Pepper with him after seeing his sign on the highway advertising "the cleanest restrooms anywhere".

Doyle's gas station is a remnant of the days before the large "travel plazas" dotted the nation's highways. It is still a small mom and pop store where service always comes with a smile, and you are asked to "hurry back" when you are leaving. Doyle has run the business since 1959, and his father before that. "It's always been a family business," Doyle said, "we don't get the business we used to, but we get by. Besides, I've started a little online business that brings in a little extra money."

Texas Country Almanac immediately smelled the delicious aroma of Mrs Gilcrist's homemade fried pies. They're sold in the store along with all the basics. Doyle has a taxidermy shop in the back as well. "So, when in season, the wife makes her special 'surprise fried pie'," Doyle said.

"Do you sell your wife's pies online?" Texas Country Almanac asked.

"Oh, no. You have to go through too much trouble for that. Follow me, I'll show you."

We followed Doyle down a hall to a small dark room. What looked like a window turned out to be a two-way mirror looking into the womens' restroom. We were amazed to see how sophisticated the motion-activated hidden cameras in the restroom were. Doyle could never miss an angle.

"I have a subsciption based website that I upload any interesting videos to," Doyle said with a smile.

In a very interesting way, Doyle had transformed a mom and pop business clinging to the past into a high tech business worthy of the 21st century. We left Doyle and his store feeling a real sense of inspiration.

If you are ever on a long drive down U.S. 59 and see Doyle Gilcrist's sign by the highway, drop by and pay him visit. Get a cold Dr Pepper and tell him Texas Country Almanac sent you.