Shelby — Wesco is a gas station. It looks like most gas stations. Pumps and propane tanks for the grill outside. Drinks, snacks, and restrooms inside. Fluorescent lighting, tile floors. It doesn’t sound unique on paper. But it is. Because Wesco isn’t just any gas station. It’s West Michigan’s gas station.
Regionalism is still a thing. Even in our era of mass communication, easy transportation, and the internet; people still glob onto their “thing.” The regionalism of 2025 might not manifest in some local dish that’s been made the same way for 400 years. It’s not some obscure cheese that only comes from one small village of 572 souls either. Today it comes in the form of manners and mannerisms, breweries and restaurants. And yes, even gas stations.
It shouldn’t be surprising. Of course we feel a special affinity for what we grow up with. And the eventual realization that it isn’t everywhere makes us feel a strong connection. It becomes ours—not theirs—and we develop a sentimental relationship to some seemingly mundane things.
Wesco is to West Michigan as Coney Island is to the Detroit suburbs. People from the southeast side of the state are always talking about their Coney Island. Coney this, Coney that. The first time I heard people going on and on about this place, I thought to myself, “What in the world is Coney Island? Isn’t that in New York? What does this have to do with Detroit?” Then it was explained to me, and I realized that it was basically just a restaurant. I understood it even less. But to Metro Detroiters it isn’t “just a restaurant.” It’s a thing. It’s a Coney. It’s part of growing up there.
I live in northern Michigan these days, but I grew up in West Michigan, and we don’t have nice gas stations in West Michigan. It’s not like Metro Detroit, where you have 10 gas stations in a 10 block radius, and all of them are stocked to the gills. Wesco really is our only one great gas station. It’s a beacon of roadside luxury among a sea of small timers with empty shelves and rusty pumps. Blarney Castle is child’s play. Wesco is the big leagues.
Wesco was founded in 1952 in Muskegon and currently operates 55 locations in the state. There are a few outside of West Michigan, with the northernmost location being in Benzonia and even a few reaching all the way down to the southeast side of the state. But most Wescos are in West Michigan.
What are these unique gas-station delights that West Michiganders adore?
The Popcorn
The popcorn machine is right behind the counter, popping away all day and night. Wesco offers those warmed kernels in different sizes. Outside of the cities, there aren’t many movie theaters in West Michigan. Much of the region is rural. A bag of Wesco popcorn and a movie at home is West Michigan culture.
The Donuts
Wesco is West Michigan’s Dunkin’ Donuts. Every morning under rounded glass lay stacks and stacks of fresh donuts awaiting hungry commuters on the go.
The Coffee
Wesco coffee enjoys a reputation similar to McDonald’s coffee. It’s earned a loyal West Michigan following over the decades. Early risers stop at Wesco specifically for piping hot coffee. Wesco also sells a refillable mug for 75-cent refills throughout the year. For West Michigan coffee addicts, Wesco is their favorite dealer.
The Frozen Coke
The frozen Coke machine delivers more flavors than just frozen Coke, but it’s called a frozen Coke machine. That’s the name, no matter what slushie-style flavor you choose. This machine might not sound terribly special if you live in a busy suburb of Detroit. But in the middle of nowhere West Michigan on a sticky August afternoon, a frozen Coke machine is like the holy grail to a 13-year-old sweating bullets after a game of kickball. Sugary heaven cuts the humid summer air.
West Michigan is a beautiful region with farmland and coastline. Mild mannered people, and little cultural turbulence. Here, you spend a lot of time driving on empty 55 mph roads. Very little traffic and very few stores. But every once in a while, you come to a Wesco. Your lifeline. The cheapest gas, the hottest coffee, the best donuts, and the only popcorn.
If you try to explain Wesco to people that aren’t from West Michigan, they won’t understand. You can take them. You can show them. I’ve tried myself, but still, they won’t get it. They can’t grasp the meaning because they aren’t from West Michigan.
“It’s just a gas station,” they say. They are right. It is just a gas station, but it’s our gas station. And that’s why we love it.
O.W. Root is a writer based in Northern Michigan, with a focus on nature, food, style, and culture. Follow him on X @NecktieSalvage.
