Saying goodbye to Charlie

The cosmetically neglected Pit Stop service station that sits on the corner of Hempstead and Morris Avenues in Malverne Park has seen rough times in recent years.

Having operated as a gas station since 1925, the town’s fire marshal sealed its gas tanks in 2013 because they exceeded their expiration date. The tanks were never replaced, gas sales ceased, and the property fell deeper in disrepair. A lien on the property made it difficult for the owner, Snuggle Ventures, to sell it.

Residents and village officials voiced their complaints about its appearance and its location.

Most of those problems, however, will be ending soon, according to Charlie Unlu, who has been renting a portion of the property and operating the Pitstop auto maintenance station there for 14 years.

Unlu said the station, which sits at 471 Hempstead Ave., was sold three months ago to another owner, whom he declined to identify. The new owner plans to replace the gas tanks, sell gas, and open a convenience store, Unlu said. The only problem: Charlie's automotive services are not part his plan.

“The new owner came here one day with his lawyer and architect, and I heard them talking about knocking the building down and pushing it all the way to the property line in order to make room for more pumps,” said Unlu.

According to records at the Nassau County Clerk’s office, the property is still owned by Snuggle Ventures. Calls to the company’s owners, Paul and Staci Broder, went unreturned.

Since the new owner must obtain several town approvals to do reconstruction, he asked Unlu to continue renting the property, but refused to give him a lease — only a month-to-month agreement — which was unacceptable. “I can’t invest in the technology necessary to service today’s cars without a property lease,” he said. “I’m not staying here because business is very bad. Car dealers are giving people who buy new cars free lifetime oil changes. That kills my business.”

Unlu said his last day operating the maintenance shop was June 3, but he will be packing his things over the next two weeks, and looking for other potential new locations for his business. “If you hear of a little shop like this that I can rent, let me know,” he said.