43 years ago, our dealership was only located on the south side of Route 54 / VanBuren Street. Best Tire Company sat across the street where our Body Shop is now and Paul's Lawn Mower Shop was located where our Quick Lube and Detail Center are. The current Douglas Dodge dealership used to be the home of Airway Olds and its truck lot next to the bowling alley was the parking lot for the Clinton School District's buses. Uptown Shell-Downs Dodge was on north Quincy Street by the train tracks where the county building stands today. Its used vehicles were parked in the grassy lot behind the library. At the corner of Quincy and Washington Street stood Finfrocks American Motor Dealers. It had a portion of its inventory west of its building across from the First Christian Church. Two dealers were located on the 300 block of East Main Street: Wilson Reeves Chrysler Plymouth and Cunningham Leas Ford (where NAPA is today). The Pullen Boos Funeral Home stood between the Wilson and Cunningham Leas dealerships. To the west of the Wilson dealership stood Gulf Gas Station and Dairy Queen. Anderson Ford now operates on the former Clinton High School Sprague football field.
While there were several dealers in town to buy from, the inventory selection was far from what dealerships offer today. For example, a cross-over in 1970 was actually a station wagon. Gas prices were cheap enough back then that fuel economy was not a huge concern for most consumers. If you were looking to buy a new truck, the regular cab model was the best choice as extended and crew cab models did not exist.
It's amazing to see how the City of Clinton as well as the automotive industry have evolved over the past several years. For those of you who have lived in Clinton for the past several decades, we hope you enjoyed this brief trip down memory lane.
Check back for the next edition of "Did You Know?"
While there were several dealers in town to buy from, the inventory selection was far from what dealerships offer today. For example, a cross-over in 1970 was actually a station wagon. Gas prices were cheap enough back then that fuel economy was not a huge concern for most consumers. If you were looking to buy a new truck, the regular cab model was the best choice as extended and crew cab models did not exist.
It's amazing to see how the City of Clinton as well as the automotive industry have evolved over the past several years. For those of you who have lived in Clinton for the past several decades, we hope you enjoyed this brief trip down memory lane.
Check back for the next edition of "Did You Know?"
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