![]() ![]() A “sure-fire” failure, some may call it! But you can bet your bottom dollar it didn’t keep Joe down. That’s right, the original store caught fire and burned to the ground due to a subcontractor’s faulty electric wiring. Git’N Go has taken Joe on one helluva roller-coaster ride - and where there’s hell, there’s fire. Since Garrett, you could say a lot has happened. Today, a big orange “G” stands where Garrett stood, but his spirit is always alive in our Git’N Go pride. With just a pencil in hand and an idea in mind, Joe came up with Garrett as a way to represent the simplicity of small-town life. Garrett was born out of love and onto a napkin. In the beginning, Git’N Go was represented by our logo, Garrett, who if you are old enough you probably saw in all our original signs and advertisements and who stood for more than just a brand name. He combined two names from pioneer convenience stores and just like that, Git’N Go was born with nothin’ more than one cashier leftover from Penny Profits and an old shoebox as a cash register. With no promise of income in sight, he pondered over what to do for 3 hours before it dawned on him… This was a failure for Penny Profits, but an opportunity for him and his building! Joe flipped through the Atlanta Yellow Pages in search of inspiration and convenience store names. The keys to the store were dropped into his lap and, in turn, so was the store. The owner of the building, Joe Hollingsworth found himself in an unexpected pickle. On September 4th, 1974, an innovative company called Penny Profits closed its doors and left Anderson County after a 90-day business venture and attempt at introducing the new “convenience store” concept to the area. Additionally, there are some Git-N-Go locations in other states Barekman is not associated with any of them.Ĭompton said she suggested Git n Go because she figured customers would recognize the name.Original Store Git’N Go #1, December, 1974 It should be noted that Barekman’s “Git n Go” is punctuated differently than the previous Git-N-Go corporation. ![]() “So I filed the corporate papers and went with the name.” “I called the Secretary of State’s office to make sure I was reading everything right, and sure enough, it was available,” he continued. I thought, ‘Dang it, I never thought of that.’ So I did my research, and the name was available, and I couldn’t believe it.” “It just all the sudden hit her, and she was hesitant to even say even anything to me. “We just couldn’t come up with a name,” Barekman said. A four-year employee of Barekman’s, Compton will be the manager at the new convenience store, ![]() It was Michelle Compton who mentioned Git-N-Go. He wasn’t interested in using the Tobacco Plus name again. When he saw Kum & Go had left the Jefferson Street location, he reached out to the property owner to lease it for a second convenience store. In addition to owning security and janitorial companies, Barekman currently operates Tobacco Plus, a convenience store at 2025 W. Kum & Go, which has been gradually been making many of its stores larger, operated at the location on Jefferson, just south of Battlefield Road, until the end of last year, and its lease at the property ended in June. A 1986 News-Leader story said Git-N-Go had 20 stores in Springfield at the time. Jefferson was built specifically for Git-N-Go in 1968. Barekman said the 2,500 square-foot building at 3030 S. It's not clear when the first location opened in Springfield, but the chain had a presence locally for decades. A news release announcing the 2004 sale says Git-N-Go opened its first store in Tulsa in 1958. ![]() The deal involved 76 convenience stores in Oklahoma and Missouri, many of which were converted into Kum & Go stores. In June of that year, Iowa-based convenience store chain Kum & Go bought nearly all the company’s assets at bankruptcy auction for about $13 million. 2004 after losing $8 million the year prior. Tulsa-based Git-N-Go filed for bankruptcy in Jan. “I did my research and the name was available,” Barekman told the News-Leader in a Tuesday interview. When it opens, hopefully early next month, Springfield customers will again be able to grab a soda or cigarettes at Git n Go. Springfield resident Rodney Barekman, a former law enforcement officer who now runs several businesses, is in the process of renovating the former Kum & Go location at 3030 S. A convenience store brand once associated with the Springfield area - well, at least its name - is about to return. ![]()
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