A house RESOLUTION

 

To recognize and honor Randy and Michelle Brenner and Jeff and Heidi Love, owners of the Fillin' Station in Beaufort, and to congratulate them for continuing the station's sixty-year legacy as a gathering place.

 

Whereas, the original little building on Sea Island Parkway was constructed in the 1960s when Billy Kizer leased it from the owner of White Rose Oil Company. It was originally the White Rose Oil Company but the locals called it Billy's Filling Station. Billy, one of the best mechanics around, ran the station through the 1960s and into the 1970s where it was equal parts garage, hangout, and small-town heartbeat; and

 

Whereas, when Billy moved his operation to a larger location early in the 1970s, the station was picked up by two local cousins, Scrap Graves and Bobby Shuman, who turned it into a spot called Brothers Two. Billy Kizer continued to stop by with coworkers after work because some places just stay in your bones. Scrap and Bobby ran it until their lease ended, marking the close of its service-station era; and

 

Whereas, from the 1980s through the 1990s, the shop stayed simple and scrappy as a bait, beer, and stop-in location where fishermen swung by for ice. Neighbors came for cold drinks. Travelers popped in because it was the only place before the bridge. In 1998, Mark and Rita Wolfe transformed it into The Fillin' Station; and

 

Whereas, the Wolfes walked into what was a beaten-up old gas station and gave it a soul. They added windows facing Factory Creek to provide a view of the marsh, cleaned it up, added real bathrooms, built a porch, and started serving good food to good people. They served local specials for over two decades, making The Fillin' Station the definition of a locals' bar with no fuss, no frills, just the best view in town and the kind of crowd that feels like family; and

 

Whereas, in 2018, Ron and Shannon Boyd took up The Filling Station, keeping the dive-bar charm alive while polishing up the edges. Ron leaned hard into the "five-star dive bar" identity, and Shannon worked to build community traditions with music nights, dinners, and regular gatherings. The Fillin' Station stayed a place in Beaufort where you know the bartender, your favorite stool is always open, and the marsh never disappoints. Amid hurricanes, COVID, staffing shortages, and every curveball a small business can take, they kept it going; and

 

Whereas, in 2025, The Fillin' Station found four new owners, Randy and Michelle Brenner and Jeff and Heidi Love. The group had the same idea as those who had gone before them, an idea to keep the locals happy, the bar real, and the marsh view sacred. They refreshed the menu, brought in new music, revived old traditions, created new ones, cleaned up the building, and leaned fully into what The Fillin' Station had always been: a gritty-up-front, heaven-out-back, Beaufort-born neighborhood that locals feel proud to call theirs; and

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives values the strong sense of community that The Fillin' Station has offered to Beaufort for more than sixty years, and the members commend the owners and patrons alike for keeping the legacy alive. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Randy and Michelle Brenner and Jeff and Heidi Love, owners of The Fillin' Station in Beaufort, and congratulate them for continuing the station's sixty-year legacy as a gathering place.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Randy and Michelle Brenner and Jeff and Heidi Love.

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