What once was a gas station could soon be a showcase for artists and merchants of all stripes, once Carlton Tolbert gets through with it.

Tolbert owns the property at 7061 Lincoln Drive in West Mt. Airy. He hopes to repurpose and reopen the space behind the CVS as Showcase Station, a self-styled variety store that will sell packaged food.

The real appeal of the space, he said, is its versatility.

“It’s essentially a white box,” he said. “It used to be a gas station, so it has high ceilings and it’s really a very adaptable space.”

Tolbert says he hopes to use property to host pop-up events for area artists and merchants to showcase their work and sell their products.

“We want this to be something special for [people] who might not have a brick-and-mortar type shop,” he said. “We want this to be a place that changes and adapts to sell a variety of products”

Tolbert hopes to open Showcase Station sometime in the spring of ’13. Find out more about the space at its website.