Sisters General Store closes

After 12 years, which nearly made them an institution in a rapidly changing Sisters, Brad and Sue Rossa closed the Sisters General Store and Shell gas station on April 26.

"Basically, we ran out of money," explained Brad on Monday, April 29.

A mortgage payment the Rossa's were unable to meet on the property where the station is located was due that Friday. They had purchased the real estate in December, 1994 after operating the station/store as a tenant of Capitol Cities, their gasoline supplier, since January, 1984.

Then came 1995, which Brad said "was our worst year." Weather wasn't cooperative and tourism was down in Sisters as well as throughout Deschutes County, he explained.

There was also some new competition. The Sisters Pumphouse opened, which as a non-branded gasoline dealer had some price advantages, as well as a snack/retail operation similar in offerings to the Sisters General Store.

"The pie was split five ways instead of four," Brad said, emphasizing he has no bitterness about his competition in a free enterprise America.

The Chevron also put in a stop and shop store, as did non-branded Davis Oil. The Chevron changed hands, with long-time operators Donna and Ted Rogers selling to a gasoline distributor, which also gave that station a price advantage.

But it wasn't just the competition. Other events took the Rossa's even closer to the edge.

"Last December, the Forest Service closed for three weeks. They are great customers and they have been very good friends," Brad Rossa said. But the loss of business was felt.

Then came the floods of '96, which closed the Santiam and other passes over the Cascades. That cut business back another 50 percent during an already lean time of year.

"We were a nickel and dime business. Lose a little here and there and it takes a toll," Brad said.

Then, gas prices started to go through the roof. Rossa saw his cost per gallon increase 29 cents in eight weeks, sometimes up by as much as eight cents from one load to the next.

It was just too much.

"We wanted to keep it going until June or July and see if we could have a better 1996, but I just ran out of money too quick. We did not have a deep enough well," Brad said.

There are a couple of parties interested in the station, Rossa said. He and Sue are not, at this point, filing for bankruptcy.

They are putting their Tollgate home on the market after a garage sale this weekend, where Brad, a self-admitted "collector," will be selling an accumulation of 20 years (see ad in the classifieds).

"We will move on with our life. We would really like to stay in the Central Oregon area, but it depends on what kind of job I take," Brad said.

Before moving to Sisters, Brad was an area sales manager for Resers and living in Seattle.

The Rossas have a daughter and a grandson, Bradley, age four.

It was important, he added, that "both of us would like to thank the community for their support."