By Aspen Anderson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
For nearly three decades, Harold Chacon has been a fixture at the Chevron station at California/Admiral in West Seattle, known for his big, bubbly personality and infectious laugh. As he prepares to retire and return to Puerto Rico to care for his aging mother, the community he’s served for years is reflecting on the impact he’s had.
“I only sell gas, I don’t buy it,” Chacon said with a laugh, noting that despite his long tenure at the station, he’s never owned a car.
Chacon’s journey to West Seattle began in 1998, when he moved from Puerto Rico to Olympia at the age of 29. After a year, he relocated to West Seattle, where a serendipitous turn on the West Seattle Bridge led him to fall in love with the area. He quickly found work at the Chevron station after noticing a “hiring” sign outside the store.
“I got lost on my way here,” Chacon recalled. “But I liked it. I stayed.”
For three years, Chacon worked the graveyard shift from 11 pm to 7 am. “You become like a vampire,” he said. The arduous hours allowed him to witness the changing dynamics of West Seattle, including the families who came in and out of the station.
“I know people who came here when they were minors on a skateboard, and I used to throw them out. Now their kids come, and I throw them out too,” Chacon said with a laugh. “The genes pass by.”
Over the years, Chacon developed a unique bond with the community he served. For him, the Chevron counter was more than a place to work — it was an equalizer.
“It doesn’t matter who you are,” he said. “It doesn’t matter your class. It doesn’t matter how big or small you think you are. Everyone’s equal in front of me at my counter.”
Chacon ultimately stayed all these years because he grew close to the family that owns the station, describing them as “really good people.” “I put roots down wherever I go … I’m like a tree,” he said.
“[Working in a gas station] you get confronted with the ugly side of humanity, but at the same time, you see the tender side,” he said.
Chacon has come to love Seattle’s ever-changing weather and the distinct seasons, a contrast to Puerto Rico, where only one season prevails year-round. He’s been particularly savoring the recent snowfall, aware that it may be the last time in his life he walks through it, feeling the flakes on his skin.
He’ll miss Seattle’s transformation into a “flower basket” in spring, the crisp shifts of fall, the harvest moon in October, and the ultra late-night sunsets.
“This community in West Seattle has been my home and so many people have touched my life, and I have touched them, I’ll take them with me in my heart and I leave part of me here too with all of them,” Chacon said. His exuberant community love was on display in the 2016 “group hug” photo for the neighboring moviehouse – in the cropped version below, you can see Harold in the back, at right, with his arms raised:
In Puerto Rico, Chacon looks forward to fully embracing retirement—relaxing on the beach, caring for his bonsai trees and taking care of his mother.
“It’s time to do my duty as a son … and take care of mama,” he said.
To honor Chacon’s retirement, the Chevron family is inviting the West Seattle community to a farewell celebration on Friday, February 28, from 10 am to noon, at the Chevron station, next to the Admiral Theater at 2347 California Ave SW–and there will be cake!
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