We have people that like to come in and just sit and talk, drink a cup of coffee and shoot the bull for a while. That’s the way we want it, we want to keep it family-oriented, and country-flavored.”Tim Graves, Graves Marathon Owner
CULLMAN – Cullman is growing by leaps and bounds, but there are still many places around that continue to maintain a bit of small town Southern charm. One of those places is Graves Marathon Gas Station. Since the mid-1950s Graves Marathon Gas Station has delivered more than its fair share of friendly service, top quality merchandise and a few tall tales along the way. It’s been a meeting place for some of Cullman’s finest and the owner plans on continuing that tradition.
“As far as I know the store has been here since about 1957 or ’58,” said Tim Graves, Owner. “It goes back to the days of segregation and still has the three bathrooms they’d use back then – one for white men, one for white women, one for the black people,” he sighed.
“So when I bought the place a little over five years ago, I turned that third bathroom into a handicap/family bathroom,” he smiled.
The Graves family work together and strive to treat each of their customers just like part of the family.
“We try to run it like an old country store,” he explained. “We still have the old fashioned hand dipped ice cream cones; we make homemade deli cakes and cookies. We also offer a nice big breakfast in the mornings – my wife does all that,” he grinned happily.
“We know most all our customers by name, even those from Florence and Birmingham, who make their commute to work every day,” he continued. “We have people that like to come in and just sit and talk, drink a cup of coffee and shoot the bull for a while. That’s the way we want it; we want to keep it family-oriented and country-flavored.”
Many Cullman folks love visiting Graves Marathon, but they are not the only ones. There have been some pretty big names stop by the store over the years.
“Actually this place was closed down at one time for Elvis Presley,” Tim chuckled.
“They rented the store for about two hours. The police shut off both driveways for him to just come in here and shop in the store. I’m not sure what year it was, but it happened!”
“There are a lot of big country music stars that stop here. The Oak Ridge Boys, Kid Rock, Hank Jr. and several others come in here when they are in the area. There’s also been a lot of Alabama football players come in here too,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of neat stuff happen here since I’ve had it. You can go just about anywhere and people know about us. I even met a guy who lives in Pigeon Forge who had been to our store before,” he laughed.
There will be some big changes in the near future for the old country gas station.
At the end of the year, the Marathon gas company plans to build a bigger, more modern store and tear down the current one.
Although it will be the end of one era, it will be just the beginning of something even better. “The new store is going to be bigger than this one, so it’s going to be better for the customers,” Tim began.
“I’m probably going to incorporate new booth seats or something like that, give people somewhere to sit and eat or drink coffee. I want the old chicken farmers to be able to come in, sit down and drink their coffee in the mornings. Right now they come in and have to stand around and talk,” he mused.
Graves Marathon Gas Station is located at 6381 Hwy 157 Cullman, AL 35057. For more information call them at 256-734-1841.
