Chances are, you’ve spotted or maybe even stopped at a Love’s Travel Stop while on a road trip in the U.S. These respites from long days on the road have been welcoming weary travelers and professional truck drivers since the 1960s. Before that, there weren’t one-stop places to fuel up, use the bathroom, get some food, and relax for a few – at least not until Tom and Judy Love created Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Today, the couple has a net worth of $3.4 billion.
In 1964, Tom and Judy Love took their life savings of $5,000 (which is about $41,000 today when adjusted for inflation) and bought an abandoned gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma. Tom Love, the son of an oil man, sensed that as affordable cars became more available, gas stations would be essential along lonely highways across the country. However, his timing was slightly off. In the 1970s, the United States faced a disastrous oil shortage that caused gas prices to skyrocket, leading people to wait in extremely long lines just to fill up their tanks. This crisis nearly bankrupted the Loves.
To save their business, something needed to change. Tom and Judy devised a plan to transform their original Watonga location into a revolutionary combination of a gas station and supermarket. Now, while waiting for their turn at the pump, patrons could shop for groceries or grab a bite to eat in a clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned market. This innovative idea marked the beginning of a new era for travelers on the road.
Photo via Loves Travel Stops/Wikimedia Commons
The Loves were pioneers in offering one-stop shopping for travelers, and their “Mini Stop” concept quickly became a success with customers. They soon expanded this idea to all their gas stations across western Oklahoma. By 1972, the Loves began transitioning the rest of their locations from simple gas stations to convenience stores with self-serve gas. The following year, they rebranded their company as Love’s Country Stores.
By 1978, Love’s Country Stores had grown to 60 locations in small towns throughout Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas. That same year, they also introduced the Fresh Daily Deli. In 1981, the first Love’s Travel Stop opened on Interstate 40 in Amarillo, Texas, featuring self-serve diesel fuel to attract professional truck drivers. During the 1990s, Love’s began adding co-branded locations to its stores, partnering with well-known brands like Taco Bell, Subway, and Pizza Hut.
Today, Love’s is one of the ten largest private companies in America, operating more than 470 stores across 41 states. Despite its tremendous growth, Love’s has remained a family-owned business, with Tom Love at the helm and his adult children managing various aspects of the company.
