Now I went and did it, bought an old DeSoto/Plymouth dealership!
I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, my old boss from Mr. Norms Garage sold me the building that his business worked out of! It started out as a DeSoto/Plymouth dealership in Rockford, Illinois known as Strandquist and Beckman in 1944 and moved into this building after the war. It is 35,000 sq. ft. with a drive-up ramp to the second floor. It was one of the dealerships that got it's franchise pulled in 2009 which basically killed the original owner as he died 6 months afterwards. They sold used cars until 2010 when it closed for good. The building was bought in 2011 and Mr. Norms Garage was located there for a few years until it became a body shop/tire store then the person who leased it left September 1st of this year. I was taking care of the building until it was offered to me, so I bought it without a business plan! I now have to figure out what I am going to do with it, until then it is just storage for me and my many Darts and parts. Here is a picture of it in 1962 with the new Rockford Police department Fury's outside. It used to have a gas station in the corner under the building so people would fuel-up and salesmen would come out and ask if they needed a new Plymouth!
I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, my old boss from Mr. Norms Garage sold me the building that his business worked out of! It started out as a DeSoto/Plymouth dealership in Rockford, Illinois known as Strandquist and Beckman in 1944 and moved into this building after the war. It is 35,000 sq. ft. with a drive-up ramp to the second floor. It was one of the dealerships that got it's franchise pulled in 2009 which basically killed the original owner as he died 6 months afterwards. They sold used cars until 2010 when it closed for good. The building was bought in 2011 and Mr. Norms Garage was located there for a few years until it became a body shop/tire store then the person who leased it left September 1st of this year. I was taking care of the building until it was offered to me, so I bought it without a business plan! I now have to figure out what I am going to do with it, until then it is just storage for me and my many Darts and parts. Here is a picture of it in 1962 with the new Rockford Police department Fury's outside. It used to have a gas station in the corner under the building so people would fuel-up and salesmen would come out and ask if they needed a new Plymouth!
