Prince Gas Company plans to move in early November to a building currently being renovated at 1506 E. Rutherford St. in Landrum, allowing the 82-year-old
propane, appliance and paving company to quadruple its showroom and office space.

Renovations are being completed in the company’s new location, in the building that formerly housed Persimmon’s Steakhouse. The company bought the building, and will use the nearly 3,000 sq. ft. of space to expand their offices, storage, and appliance showroom areas. A porch and patio area will be built on the back of the building for an outdoor grill display.

“The move will be bittersweet,” said Stephanie Bolding, great-granddaughter of the company’s founder, Boyce F. Prince. The four-generation family business has been in their current location behind Foothills Amish Furniture and beside the railroad tracks, since 1932. Bolding said she has many fond memories as a child of helping her grandparents run the business from that location.

From its founding and through the 1970s, the company sold coal for heating, offloading coal directly from train cars outside.

Though the decades, the energy company has gone through “an evolution,” said Steve Prince, 61, with family members making major decisions as to the best direction for the company, which now has 11 employees.

In addition to coal, the early years included fuel oil sales. Prince’s grandfather bought a fuel oil business in the 1950s and it thrived, until the family sold it in 2003. Prince’s father, Boyce J. “Jack” Prince, went into the gasoline business in the 1960s, selling over one million gallons a year to “mom and pop” gas station retailers. In the mid-1990s the family pulled out of gas sales, citing the decline of family-owned gas stations and increased EPA regulations.

In 1993, the family began to focus on its propane business. According to Prince, the fuel is cleaner and there are a lot less environmental problems. Prince said that his business grew from 100 customers to more than 2,000, and his delivery area has expanded to include Hendersonville, Boiling Springs, Spartanburg and Greer, in addition to Landrum, Tryon, and Columbus.

Propane deliveries account for 30 to 40 percent of his business, according to Prince. New customers are generally referred by word of mouth and a typical customer averages three fuel deliveries a year, said Prince.

In 1995, the company launched an appliance sales department. Their showroom includes a variety of gas log fireplaces, propane heaters, cast iron stoves, and tankless water heaters. Brand names include Lennox, Navien, Rinnai and Empire. They also sell outdoor grills, gas lights and smokers under the Broilmaster and Primo
brand name.

“We were a little hesitant at first,” said Steve Prince about adding appliances to the company’s business plan, “but over the years, we’ve done training, and now appliance sales are 25 percent of our business.”

Asphalt paving was added to the company’s business plan in 1968. As the work was better suited for the summer months, it was a perfect fit for a company that needed to keep its employees busy during the warmer months when fuel deliveries slowed.

“My father started the paving business when he did his own driveway,” said Prince. “It evolved from there. We now have more and better equipment.” Prince said that paving accounts for 20 percent of his business.

“We do driveways and parking lots, mainly,” said Daniel Prince, Stephanie’s brother. “We’ve also done some streets in Tryon, Landrum and Columbus – small local stuff.”

After the move is complete and the company is settled, the family plans to have a grand opening celebration in mid- to late November. Prince Gas is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We have a good customer base that’s been good to us and supportive,” said Prince.

By Claire Sachse
claire.sachse@tryondailybulletin.com