Historic Deep Ellum Gas Station Getting Turned Into a New Throwback Bar With Major Patio Power

An old service station in Deep Ellum, built in the 1920s, is again being brought back to life. But don’t worry, the throwback feels and history of the building will remain in a new bar called Thunderbird Station.

Originally, the 3400 Commerce Street building was owned and operated by Maynard Riegel as a gas station, Riegel’s Gulf Service, for decades. Then Bowls & Tacos came and went after a short, two-year stint earlier this year.

Now Kim Finch — owner of Double Wide, a trailer park-themed bar that sits just across the street — is transforming the space into a new, full-service bar with kitchen for bites and late-night eats.

I got a chance to meet up with Finch and general manager Joel Stephenson at Thunderbird, which is set to open this spring.

“Since I’ve been here (at Double Wide) for 16 years, I’ve drooled over the building across the street,” Finch tells PaperCity. “We’re gutting it and starting over, but preserving the history of the building,”

“The building is iconic,” Stephenson adds. “The bones are good, but we had to make it bar friendly. We want it to be a space to hang out and feel comfortable.”

Both Finch and Stephenson have been in the bar business for awhile, starting out bartending at places such as Orbit Room, Old Monk and Capitol Pub.

“At Irish bars, there’s a focus on good service,” Stephenson says.

“I got thrown into Deep Ellum and never left,” says Finch, an Oklahoma native. “I worked at Double Wide before I owned it. I never thought I would own a bar, but if any bar it was going to be Double Wide. It felt like home.”

In 2011, Finch opened Single Wide, an iteration of Double Wide, in Lower Greenville. “The landlords approached me,” she says. “I walked in and instantly saw it was perfect.” A small dive bar, Single Wide is known for its low-brow riff on classic cocktails.

For their third bar, Stephenson jokes that people would ask when Triple Wide was coming. But Finch and Stephenson say Thunderbird Station is going to be something pretty different.

“We’re keeping it true to the time period,” Stephenson says. “This is an old school residential area and when Bowls & Tacos closed there weren’t a lot of options for food.”

They say Thunderbird will definitely be bar-forward, but they’ll have some nostalgic and simple foods with a smaller late night menu.

“It’ll be a place you can sit down and eat while sharing a pitcher with friends,” Stephenson says.

And being so close to Double Wide, they hope people will pop in and out of both. Maybe have a bite and beer at Thunderbird then come see a show at Double Wide. The cocktail menu will be different from Double Wide, as Thunderbird will have its own specialty cocktails.

“You won’t be able to get the YooHoo Yeehaw here,” Finch says. That’s Double Wide’s drink.

Walking throughout the space and seeing and hearing the outlines of what Finch and Stephenson have planned, you can tell Thunderbird Station is going to be something very cool. Inside, a circular bar will be where you get your drinks with around 20 bar stools. Two side bays, that were added on in the 1950s for oil and wash, offer kitchen space and more seating space with two top tables.

Newer garage doors were added to those bays, and offer views of the street and enormous outdoor patio seating which wraps around the entire building. They are also adding on bathrooms.

“You’ll be able to walk around the entire place,” Stephenson says. “We had to be creative in designing and mapping out how it’ll be a bar and kitchen.”

Finch also plans to pay homage to Reigel’s position as a community building-block with ambiance and decor. They’re working on getting some old photos of the station they can hang up.

Thunderbird Station plans to open in Spring 2020.