One of the only stops for gas and snacks along the Trans-Labrador Highway is now closed

Travellers driving along the Trans-Labrador Highway now have to contend with long, lonely stretches on the road, after the only gas station on the 165-kilometre expanse between the towns of Pinware and Port Hope Simpson is now closed. 

The refuelling station and convenience store has been in Red Bay, N.L., for almost 20 years, but now its owners are looking to hand over the reins.

Red Bay town manager Keith Pike said the store has served as a kind of mental note for travellers, signalling that it's a place to stop and get fuel and snacks during the long drive along Labrador's south coast.

As for community members, they will now have to drive 30 kilometres away to Pinware for fuel and essentials.

"Both for the travelling public and for the residents of Red Bay, it's a tremendous loss," said Pike.

Pike said last weekend was the store's last day open, so it was important to get information out to drivers that fuel would no longer be available.

"It's a fairly long drive and as we know it's kind of a desolate highway, for the most part," said Pike. 

Pike is hoping a new owner will come along to reopen the store, but said that can be difficult in such a small community.

The convenience store had previously been a spot to get quick essentials like milk and eggs. Now the community's closest grocery store is a 40-minute drive away in L'Anse-au-Loup.

"It's been a wonderful, very valuable part of the community of Red Bay for a lot of years," said Pike. "We're so sorry to see it go, although we certainly understand the circumstances."

The Red Bay Basque Whaling Station is also a UNESCO heritage site, which means it will become a busy tourism spot in the summer. 

Pike said it is also a useful spot for recreational vehicles to buy essentials in the summer, so he anticipates that the store will reopen. 

"The town plans on working with anyone that's interested in the business," said Pike. "It's a wonderful business and we think someone out there will want to take advantage of it." 

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