Frank's Marathon

read moreFrank's Marathon is a full-service auto repair center with 24-hour emergency towing. Family owned since 1966, Frank's is widely known in the Upper Arlington, Ohio, area for its trustworthy and reliable service. With an experienced mechanic staff, Frank's works on domestic and foreign cars and trucks. For your convenience, Frank's Marathon features Northwest Columbus' only full-service gas pump with an attendant and a mini-market with food and drink.

read moreWhen Frank Gillespie started working at his father's gas station in 1966, customers didn't have to pump their own gas. Gillespie, owner of Frank's Marathon, 3116 Riverside Drive, maintains some throwback services at his Upper Arlington service station: free air for the tires, mechanics on duty and one pump reserved for people who want an attendant to fill the tank. The temperature was 6 degrees Tuesday morning when I went there to see the place for myself. It's a measure of how accustomed we are to self-service gas that even on a day with biting windchill, just one customer in two hours came seeking full service.

read moreA 13-year veteran of Frank's Marathon, Adam began working on his parents' cars at the age of 6 or 7 and was changing his mom's brakes by age 12. "But, unfortunately, they wouldn't let me drive until I was of age, " he says. Both his father and brother David were auto service mechanics for many years, "so I've got in my blood, " Adam says. He calls Frank's family. We'll all on the same team and the difference between us and other families is there's never any fighting among us. Adam was born and raised and still lives in the same Upper Arlington neighborhood with his wife and kids, just a couple of blocks from Frank's.