Pictures and The History of the TS Imported Automotive Building
“You can go back home” or read the history of our building. In 1913, my uncle opened the Pandora Auto Agency as a garage and sales agency. In 1914 he took on the Dodge franchise. This was the first year for Dodge. In the late 1920’s, Plymouth was added to the product lineup. My Dad went to work in the facility in the 1930’s and was there, with the exception of a time out for WWII, until he retired in 1968.
Dad was the salesman, bookkeeper, manager and sometimes mechanic during his 30+ years. As a little boy, I got to go to “work” with my dad. We were open on Saturday night until 8 pm. I would get to pump gas and hang out.
This was in the late 1940’s. WWII had ended but new cars were not yet readily available. But, you could finally get tires. We had tires stacked almost floor to ceiling in the showroom. A great place for a little kid to play. These were still 16” so you could crawl down into the tire stack and hide. Years later I stood in my Dad’s office, now my office, and spec’d out my first new car.
The dealership remained in the family until 1987 when my uncle’s daughters sold the franchise. At that time the dealership was one of two original, started with Dodge in the first year of production, in the USA. The building was sold and went through a series of owners. Early in 2000, I had a chance to buy the building. It is now “back in the family”.
As a long time business in a small town, there are still a lot of people who had been customers. They have brought in everything from a receipt, picture and copy of a cancelled check for their first car, to advertising giveaways, old photos and even repair bills. The restoration of the building is an ongoing thing but it’s a labor of love. “Yes you can go home!” This spring, the gas pump(s) are going back out in front where they were (price is set a 21.9 cents per gallon – what it was when I was there as a pump jockey)
Please feel free to ask questions about “the way it was”. If you have any Dodge, Plymouth or Pure Oil memorabilia, I am always looking.
