Aug. 10--As gas prices climbed higher last year, alternative fuels became a much-discussed topic as companies and individuals began working on ways to ease the dependence on foreign oil.

Whether it was electricity, ethanol or hydrogen, many saw the need to adjust.

While gas prices have dropped back from those highs, many companies, wary of prices heading north again, are still looking for vehicles using alternative fuels.

"I would say a lot of fleet managers learned their lessons last year," said Joseph G. "Skip" Baker Jr., president of Baker Equipment in Richmond.

Baker, a distributor of truck equipment, works with fleet owners to convert traditionally gas-powered vehicles to compressed natural gas. It started offering the service last year.

It now has branched out by offering to convert fleet vehicles, such as vans or taxis, to propane power.

The company has a signed a deal to join Alliance AutoGas, a network of clean propane fueling sites and vehicle conversion centers.

The vehicles will be equipped with the original gasoline tank and added propane tanks.

This allows the operator to run the vehicle as a propane/gasoline hybrid. When propane runs out, the vehicles will automatically switch to gasoline.

Companies that make the transition through Baker then will be entitled to use the 300 fueling stations that are part of the Alliance AutoGas nationwide network.

That infrastructure, Baker said, is major selling point for companies because, in the past, prices for propane at stations varied so much it wasn't cost effective.

"You can now drive across the country and know what it's going to cost you in advance," he said.

A conversion costs several thousand dollars, but Baker said a company could recoup the cost in less than a year if the vehicle is driven 60,000 miles, as taxis often do.

For now, Baker technicians are training on propane conversions and the company could be doing them as early as this month.

The company will continue to do compressed natural gas conversions.

Baker believes he will have a steady stream of business even though gas prices have flattened because he thinks it's only a matter of time before they go back up.

"We have to be aware that prices can go up with just a slight uptick in demand," he said. "We now know what can happen."

Gift shop closes

Tickle Your Fancy store in Chesterfield County has closed, but it will continue selling online.

The store, off of Hull Street Road near Southshore Drive, shut down about two weeks ago. It moved last year from the Stony Point Fashion Park.