By Mike Hazlip—
The owner of a Valero gas station at the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Antelope Road is in the process of selling the location, with plans to instead open a smog station at a recently vacated repair shop in Citrus Heights.
Longtime gas station owner Uddhav “Gary” Giri told The Sentinel in an interview Tuesday that he had sold the business to another Valero operator. Giri said he expects there will be a smooth transition with the new owner keeping the Valero brand and inventory, calling him a “super nice guy.”
“He is hoping that nothing would be an obvious change,” Giri said of the new owner. “They just want to simply maintain that, and nobody will even notice.”
Giri has owned the location since 2001 when he bought the station at 7700 Auburn Blvd. from Chevron. He said he was considering selling the business when 7-Eleven approached him wanting to make an offer. After some negotiations, Giri said he was willing to accept 7-Eleven’s offer, but Chevron had first right of refusal.
When the contract with Chevron fell through after a six-month wait, Giri says he was approached by Valero who had 10 interested buyers. Selling the business to another Valero operator saved him cancellation penalties, Giri said.
The business is currently waiting for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to issue a liquor license for the new owner before Giri can finally transition out.
As he sells the gas station, Giri plans to transition to operating a smog and vehicle registration shop at 6717 Auburn Blvd., across from the Sylvan Oaks library. He said that business will allow him to have more flexibility with his time.
“I’ve been doing the smog for as long as I’m here,” Giri said, referencing that his Valero station also offered smog services. He said renovations have been completed at the new property and he expects the shop to open in the near future.
By Mike Hazlip—
The owner of a Valero gas station at the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Antelope Road is in the process of selling the location, with plans to instead open a smog station at a recently vacated repair shop in Citrus Heights.
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