March 30, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
It had been part of the Smithville landscape for 70 years but now the building that once served as home to a popular service station and a restaurant is no more.
Demolition of the structure, which many will remember as Kent’s Texaco and the Sunrise Grill, was completed over the weekend. The property, located at the corner of Highway 70 (East Broad Street) and Highway 56 (South Congress Boulevard, is currently for sale by owners Kerry (Bebo) and Kevin Robinson.
The business, started in 1950 by Erbie Robinson and his brother-in-law W.H. “Dub” Bing , was known as Bing & Robinson’s Service Station. It originally began as a Sinclaire gas station but over the years changed to Arco, Texaco, and Marathon.
After Robinson and Bing opened the service station, a restaurant adjoining the business on the same property soon started. Known as the Sunrise Grill, the restaurant, operated by Warren and Betty Smith, became one of the most popular eateries in town. It remained in business for almost two decades.
After purchasing Bing’s interest in the business, Robinson continued operating the service station for several years until he turned it over to his son Kent in the 1960’s. Kent’s brother Kerry (Bebo) had worked in the family business for a while until he began a partnership with Billy Hendrixson to start a successful convenience store, known today as Kwik-N-Ezy Exxon, which is located across the highway from the service station property. After Kent’s death in 2005 , Darrell Gill leased the Robinson property and relocated his already successful business known as DeKalb Tire & Service there from West Broad Street. A couple of years ago Gill relocated his operation to property he acquired on East Broad Street and changed the name to Gill Automotive.