A gas station off Interstate 840 in Bon Aqua, Tennessee, has grown into something far bigger than a place to fill up the tank. Gas Boss now includes an ice cream parlor, a bait and ammo shop, a prayer shack and a community gathering space, and the business is preparing to add a live event space and amphitheater on the multi-acre property behind the station.
Gas Boss sits near the intersection of Interstate 840 and State Route 100, according to WSMV. CEO and operating manager Lindsay Blaze Smith said the additions are based on what residents ask for, reflecting requests from local hunters, fishermen and families who wanted more than fuel pumps out of their neighborhood stop.
From Fill-Up Stop to Family Hangout
The station's report notes that Gas Boss has become a place where families can meet friends, listen to music and spend time outdoors, rather than just a quick stop on the way somewhere else. Smith said Gas Boss has become something more than the gas station it started as, according to the same account.
Bon Aqua resident Gerry Hutcherson visits Gas Boss every morning for coffee and a croissant, per the report. Hutcherson credits Smith's personal attention for making the stop part of his daily routine, and he said Smith wants the community behind her rather than Gas Boss behind the community.
Live Music Already a Weekly Draw
Gas Boss already hosts live music events on Friday nights, and that momentum is part of why the amphitheater is in the works. Bandsintown lists a Sept. 19 performance from singer-songwriter Nick Bentley at the venue. Earlier this year, country recording artist and songwriter Brian Rhea booked a full-band show at Gas Boss for July 18 at 7 p.m., according to an event listing on Brian Paul Rhea's website.
Smith emphasizes personal interaction with customers as central to the Gas Boss approach, the WSMV report states. That philosophy appears to be part of why the station has drawn regulars and turned an errand into a hangout for people across Bon Aqua.
Banana Pudding Marks Third Year
Gas Boss is scheduled to hold its third annual banana pudding event in Bon Aqua on Oct. 3, with a full day planned that includes live music, barbecue, local vendors and baked goods. The gathering has become an annual marker of how far the property has come from its origins as a standard fuel stop.
The planned amphitheater would put Gas Boss in the same conversation as other Middle Tennessee outdoor music spots, including the Amphitheater at the Market in Jackson, an outdoor facility the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development highlights for hosting a range of music events, and the established FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin. For now, Gas Boss remains a gas station first, but one that residents like Hutcherson treat as a daily gathering spot rather than a passing stop.
