You might say the Corum family worked right down to the wire to open their business.

“Technically, we finished up the day we opened,” explained Karen Corum. “We were here working on last-minute things until after 3 a.m. on June 8 and opened officially that day at 11 a.m.”

There were many long days like that and countless hours that went into opening 3rd Street Station Bar & Grill located at the junction of 3rd Street and Main Avenue in downtown Rugby.

The business is truly a family affair.

Two couples, Dave and Karen Corum and their son and his wife, Dan and Tracy Corum, purchased the former Dave’s Service building on Main Avenue in November of 2008.

They spent quite a while investigating other properties and existing businesses in town, but when none of those options panned out they took a closer look at the Dave’s Service building and gas station, which to most people would seem an unlikely choice for a restaurant.

In January they began the daunting transformation, turning a gas station into a bar/restaurant. Their son, Mike, was one of the chief contractors on the job. He and his partner, Mark Einarson of Upham, own M&M Builders, which took care of the majority of the construction work.

“When we first walked into the place it was just a bunch of metal walls, but once we started taking down walls and opening up the place you could see it taking shape,” said Mike.

Many people have remarked on how the amazing the transformation has been, considering the business had been a garage for more than 70 years. Dave Wurgler’s father, John, took over the Standard Oil gas station and service garage in 1968. The Corums purchased the property from Dave and his wife, Char Wurgler, who had owned and operated the business for several years.

“In real estate everyone knows it’s all about location, and in our eyes we were buying the location,” Karen explained. “We ended up with a gas station, so we decided – let’s go with that theme for the decor.”

Karen took care of the decorating, complete with a few items recalling the building’s past, including the large Dave’s Service sign right as you walk in the front door.

The Corum family operated the Outpost Bar in Upham for 12 years before setting their sights on Rugby.

“We had a good customer base there in Upham, including many people from Rugby, but we wanted to get out of the bar business and move more into the restaurant business,” Karen said. “We knew we had a potential for a much larger customer base here in Rugby.”

Dave will serve as the main cook and will be in charge of the kitchen, and Dan is the main bartender and in charge of the bar. Tracy will take care of waiting on tables and Karen will do a little of everything wherever needed. They will also hire two more employees.

As of now, the bar/restaurant welcomes anyone over the age of 21 and serves a limited menu of sandwiches. The bar and restaurant are open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Food orders are taken until approximately 10 p.m.An extended menu will be coming in the very near future and will feature such entrees as steaks, halibut, prime rib and shrimp, among other things. They will also be serving hamburgers and fries and adding a salad bar as well.

The business has been open for less than a week, but the Corums are already planning ahead for the expansion.

“Right now we have a door that goes nowhere,” joked Karen as she pointed to the door on the south side of the building.

Soon that door will lead into the expansion that will house additional seating for the restaurant. There are also plans for a non-smoking area and seating for family dining. That area will have a separate entrance.