The end of an era for me, sold my building, long read...

In 2009 Strandquist Chrysler Plymouth lost their license with Chrysler like 862 other dealerships. The dealership was located in downtown Rockford, Illinois where all the other major dealerships were located for decades. Jack Strandquist started the dealership in 1944 after he came back from his 35th bombing mission in WWII and his dad had a used car dealership across the street from this building, which was finished in 1921 hoping to be a Dodge dealership, but with the death of the Dodge brothers it never opened as a Dodge dealership. There is very little history of what it was between 1921 and 1944 until the Strandquists leased it before purchasing it when they acquired a DeSoto franchise. There was a separate Chrysler dealership and also a Plymouth dealership nearby and eventually they acquired both and became a Chrysler/Plymouth dealer until 2009. They tried to be a used car dealer but that didn't work, then Jack died of a broken heart 6 months later and the dealership was closed and liquidated. At the time I worked with a restoration company in Machesney Park just north of Rockford in 2010 when we saw the building was for sale, so my boss purchased the building and we moved Nostalgia Lane there and became Mr. Norms Garage as my boss had bought into the Mr. Norm and Sox and Martin names. We moved our dyno there and expanded our line of supercharged Challengers and building wild Mustangs and Camaros. By the mid 2010's Chrysler was starting to build their own supercharged Challengers and that was the writing on the wall for us. The manager quit and went with his own dyno place and the building became a regular auto mechanic shop and we even got the contract to maintain the Rockford police cars! That all ended in 2017 and my old boss asked me to manage the building while he looked for a buyer. In late 2017 he asked me to meet me at the building and offered it to me and he would hold the mortgage with no strings attached, so I went for it. I had plans on starting my own restoration shop but one thing led to another, and Covid happened, so it never came to fruition. I put together a Mr. Norms collection and used the cool showroom to showcase some of those vehicles for a few years, and held swap meets there. The writing on the wall came last year that it was never going to happen and the taxes were killing me, so I made the decision to shut it down and sell it. That day came today as it is now in the hands of the new owners. I had 80 cars in there and over 250,000 parts, so it has been a crazy few months trying to sell some, move out the stored cars, and the museum cars plus trying to figure out what to do with all the parts! The new owner said he didn't need the upper floor for a while, and since it has a drive-up ramp, I took all the cars and parts I could fit up there and left parts cars there, I will still have it for another 6 months while I go through everything and decide what I will keep. I want to thank my friends and acquaintances for helping me over the years and this crazy last month of moving crap around for the final time! Look for a lot more parts for sale ads from me over the next few months! And thanks to all the people who came to my swap meets, met a lot of cool people!

But for a time .. king of the world !
good luck with your next venture

Best of luck going forward, Rhino.

Thanks guys, for more pics I turn you to an old thread from our own Forwardlook. He actually slept there a few times while he was over in the states to save money to buy more Mopar parts, LOL! https://board.moparts.org/ubbthread...midwest-tour-200-pics-added-on-27th.html The pics are near the top and bottom of the multi-page thread...

All the best to you Rhino. Sad to see history slip away like this.

-Eric

I remember when you got the place. Sorry to see it go. The history and that second story is really cool.

Over the years I have found some really cool places around here I wanted so bad to buy including a big trucking warehouse but I can't afford to bank roll the expenses waiting around while I either build up something on my own to make the money or find another business to move in. It's a gamble I just can't do.

That place is awesome! Sorry it didn't work out. Good luck w/ the next venture Rhino!

That was a super cool place, but the costs and other factors in keeping a building like that maintained and heated are immense. I enjoyed poking around the place during your swap meets, but cringed a bit when I was there thinking about the burden you had taken on owning the place!
I'm sure your stress factor has decreased quite a bit now that it is sold!
And now you are free to get the heck out of this mess of a state, something all of us still stuck here can envy!

I would have loved to go to your swaps but just to far for me.
Gotta think positive in that this is the next step to getting out of Illinoisy.

I am a believer in things happen for reasons. And after being in the classic car repair / resto business for over 20 years I am winding it way down. Too many headaches and pressure not to mention employee issues. I'm done with working 7-10's + while the employees worked 40 or less (long story on him) and took advantage of everything they could (my bad for allowing it). Not to mention customers that will pay 50+ for a haircut (10-15minutes) but bi--h at a labor rate sometimes less than 70.00 an hour.
I used to sit in corporate america DREAMING of self employment. During my time of self employment I cannot count the number of times I DREAMED of a nice cushy corporate job in which I clocked out at 5, had my weekends and holidays free, paid vacations and OMG time for the F word (FUN).
It did have it's good side, but as with everything in life there is a cost and I'm not sure the pain was worth the gain (partly my fault & a long story).
So this may be a blessing in disguise. Good luck to you sir and do keep us posted

Many times, failure ends up being a success in countless ways.

You took over that building about the same time my Dream Garage was being completed. As much as I love my building, yours was way cooler. I really wanted to see it in person and I would've loved to attend one of your swap meets, but distance and timing combined to prevent that.

Ed

What is the new owner going to do with the building?

He has a local repair shop and ran out of room, he will have plenty of that now! He is from Mexico originally and is a very nice guy, we get along good. The first thing he did was bring his entire family to see the place, and wants all the info he can get about the history of the place! He was bummed as was I that the place was pretty much emptied out of all the Chrysler memorabilia but I did get a binder with pictures from 1944 until it went under. I have not given that to him yet, a friend is copying it so I can have rememberances. He plans on using the showroom like I did, for a museum but will probably not be many Mopars there. He has his work cut out for himself, it needs a roof, new windows, new plumbing, and a complete new heating system, things I just could not afford. I hope he has great success!

The end of an era.

I'm feelin' the love for that traditional, tail-draggin' Mec.

Best of luck to you.


Tim

Good luck in your new life Rhino.

All good things come to an end they say.

They also say "The best is yet to come". I like that much more!

Sad to see the cool old building go to someone else, but at least you can say you were part of its history.
Years ago I used to love finding and going into an old dealership with those period dated blue and white Chrysler colors.
Now you're on to the next adventure.

Are you still hauling cars after all this?

Wish you the best and in whatever you do from here forward.

i keep forgetting to ask Rhino, where will you store all your broken transmissions now ?
just kidding ! best of luck to you Jim !

I actually sold most of transmissions, broke or unbroke, still have a few more left! I will still do transports, and still have lots of parts to get rid of over the next six month. Towards the end you will see ads for lots of free Mopar parts!

Maybe now you will have extra time, and money to give the Dart some Love.

YES! It is time to quit selling parts, moving everyone else's cars around, driving and working on every else's cars, and actually try and enjoy mine for the first time in decades, thanks for the reminder!

Who originally owned and raced the Dart?

Richard Shipley from Baltimore, MD bought it new from Mr. Norms Grand Spaulding Dodge owned and raced it on the east coast for a few years before it was sold to Joe DeSantis who raced it until 1973 in Ohio then it went to another Ohio guy that never got around to racing it, then it was found in the midwest as a parted out old racecar. Here is a picture when Lil iIchard Shipley owned it. Originally a 4-speed car Richard was not competitive so he switched it to an automatic within months of buyin it.

Epic, love the old pics and history from all of our cars. I've known you had this from posts over the yrs, I agree, get it going and your gts that burnt. It's so much fun. I daily my og 69, 340, 4spd dart every day it's not raining. So much fun to just use and enjoy them.