Local residents and employees alike were shocked yesterday
morning to see the lot and showroom at Lindeman Dodge Chrysler Jeep
empty and the business suddenly closed after trucks carted away all
of the company’s vehicles.
Hollister – Local residents and employees alike were shocked yesterday morning to see the lot and showroom at Lindeman Dodge Chrysler Jeep empty and the business suddenly closed after trucks carted away all of the company’s vehicles.
The business, which employs 20 people, was forced to close after Chrysler Financial withdrew the dealership’s credit line and foreclosed on the dealership, owner Mark Lindeman said. Chrysler didn’t want the dealership to open the doors Tuesday, but Lindeman stayed open one more day because he thought his employees deserved to know what was happening.
“It’s sad for Hollister, it’s sad for the employees and it’s sad for the downtown. As I’ve always said before, when you shop locally you not only employ your neighbor, you keep your town alive,” Lindeman said. “So before you go out of town, consider Hollister first. For the vitality of the city and of the community and the way of life people want, you have to support the local businesses. Otherwise destiny awaits them, too.”
The dealership saw its inventory dragged away Wednesday morning after “Chrysler came in and shut (them) down,” said a service employee who was at the dealership Wednesday and would only identify himself as Brett.
“They just came in this morning and they’re taking all their cars back,” he said. “This is just what happens when you don’t have enough back-up in the bank. It’s just that time of year, and it’s after 9/11. It’s been like this everywhere for a while now.”
Cross-sell reports, which put together industry figures based on vehicle titles at the state DMV, indicated Lindeman sold only six vehicles in November. And the company’s paychecks to employees also bounced this month, Brett said. Lindeman said that he would never issue checks knowing he couldn’t cover them, but declined to comment further.
Many were surprised by the dealership’s sudden closure.
“It was downtown yesterday, but when I drove by this afternoon there was nothing there,” said Al Martinez, director of the local Economic Development Corporation yesterday afternoon. “Usually there’s talk, but this time there was no hint. I’m shocked.”
And City Councilman Robert Scattini said he was just as surprised, especially after buying a car from Lindeman recently. Scattini said he hadn’t heard anything about the dealership closing until he drove by it yesterday afternoon.
But Martinez and Scattini were not the only ones shocked at the dealership’s sudden closure – several of the company’s employees said they had received little more notice than the community had.
At about 4:45pm Tuesday night, Service and Parts Manager Keith Ackerman said, Lindeman pulled the employees aside and told them the bad news.
“You talk to people and you hear things are happening, but I’ve worked there for a while and you hear a lot of things that never actually happen. Besides, I didn’t think they were going to close right away,” Ackerman said.
Lindeman bought the business in May of last year, taking over the dealership that had previously belonged to the Hartzheim family, and before that the Bishop family. All three were family-owned businesses, and the original Bishop dealership had been around since the 1940’s.
Former employees said they don’t put any blame on Lindeman.
“It’s kind of like that movie It’s a Wonderful Life right now,” said Brett. “We’re all devastated because everyone who worked here is like a family. Mark’s going through a really tough time and everyone’s just doing a lot of crying. I don’t want anything bad to be said about him, because this is business and it just fell through and he didn’t deserve this.”
Dave Spenser of Hollister Pontiac said November was a tough month for his dealership as well.
“I’ve been in the business since 1966, and last month was the toughest month for all the dealers in the areas I’ve worked in,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s Iraq, the economy going up and down, or rising gas prices. I think we’ve just learned to do without (new cars).”
Marty Greenwood of Greenwood Chevrolet said on the contrary his business had been good this year, but he was sorry to see Lindeman go.
The loss of a car dealership could mean saying good-bye to a large amount of revenue for the city, according to Martinez and City Manager Clint Quilter.
“I don’t have any specific figures in front of me, but car dealerships certainly are a significant chunk of the local revenue,” Quilter said.
Lindeman agreed, saying the closing of his dealership was another harsh reminder of what happens when a community doesn’t support its local businesses enough.
“I don’t blame the community at all, but I do urge them to shop locally. Not just at car dealerships, but at stores downtown like Dorothy McNett’s for gifts and that kind of thing. It really helps the whole community,” he said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
