After 16 years in business Standish Mobil located at the intersection of routes 25 and 35 is closing.

The gas station has been a popular landmark at Standish corner for almost two decades.

“I drive past the Standish Mobil every day,” said John Scott, a South Portland native who works in Standish. “I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there.”

Mobil owner George Warren opened the gas station and garage in 1990 but never owned the building.

“I had a controlled lease with Downeast Energy when I started,” said Warren. “They were a good, reasonable company, and we had a good relationship.”

About four years ago, Alliance Energy Company bought the lease from Downeast Energy and according to Warren things went downhill right away.

“My gas business this summer was one-third of what it was when Downeast controlled the lease,” said Warren. “Alliance charges me more than retail when I purchase gas, at that price there is just no way for me to be competitive with the other gas places in town.”

According to Warren, the Alliance Energy group had no interest in helping improve business.

“I believe it is a poorly run company,” said Warren. “The building needed repairs when Alliance bought the lease, but they did not want to do them. Problems like that have made it impossible for me to do business here.”

Warren said that Alliance Energy recently presented him with an “unsignable” lease so he had no choice but to close his business.

Alliance would not allow Warren to stay in the building without signing a lease, and informed him that he must vacate the building by Nov. 17. Warren will be closing the station by the end of this week.

Although Alliance Energy holds the lease on the building, it does not own it. According to the tax assessor’s office in Standish the building is owned by a family trust but the address and phone numbers listed are that of Alliance Energy Corporation located in Branford, Conn. Repeated phone calls to the energy company were not returned.

Warren currently employs three full-time and six part-time employees including mechanic Dave Sanborn who has been with Warren since the station’s second year in business.

“Dave has been with me for 15 years. He started from high school,” said Warren. “He is great, he won’t have any trouble finding a job somewhere else.”

As for Warren he says he will be back in the future, but he can’t promise when.

“I am going to take a little bit of time off and decide where to go from here,” said Warren. “I would like to open another shop someday right here on the strip.”

Warren said telling his loyal customers that he is closing has been more difficult than he imagined.

“It has been heart-wrenching to hear from people when they find out we are closing,” said Warren. “I have had a lot of customers over the years and I just want to say it has been great being here. Thank you for the business, I hope to see you in the future.”