Are we the only ones wondering if Fuel Co., that distinctive gourmet fill-up station on the corner of East Market and Avon, will ever re-open? Its been over 16 months since the designer gas station and food emporium closed and went up for sale, but so far its owner, winemaker Patricia Kluge, has found no takers. So what’s the deal?

“We are conscious of its location,” Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard’s Kristin Moses Murray told the Hook back in April, ” and in addition to being the right offer, dollar wise, it has to be the right offer for the town as well.”

Seven months later, however, that right offer appears to be elusive.

“We have had a number of interested buyers…it’s been close a few times,” says Murray. ” With today’s economic climate even the most enthusiastic buyers can’t necessarily get bank financing.”

Hmm…sounds strangely familiar to another project in town.

Murray isn’t saying who has made offers, but she says they’re still holding out for “any sort of operation that serves as a good anchor for that part of town.”

Until then, the white sails over Fuel Co.’s pumps will remain furled until it finds a crew.