Anaheim’s Hardin Buick Pontiac GMC won’t go quietly into the night.
The dealership was earmarked for closure by General Motors Co., as one of 1,350 dealers to be shut down in an effort to streamline the company.
The Anaheim location is scheduled to close by October, but the dealership, owned by the Hardin family, isn’t closing without a fight.
“When I was born in 1947, I was brought home from the hospital in a 1947 Oldsmobile,” said Dennis Hardin, who operates the dealership with his children.
Three generations of the Hardin family have run the dealership since 1957, so showing up on the closure list was a “real shock” to Hardin, he said.
“I thought there was no chance that we would be on that list,” Hardin said. “My family literally had to come and console me. I’m not usually an emotional person, but I sure was that day.”
Hardin says his dealership has always been one of the top-performing GM dealers in OC. It had been profitable up until the downturn. Customer satisfaction has been good and the facility isn’t lacking, he said.
“We kept our end of the bargain in the dealer franchise agreement in performing the way that we were supposed to,” he said. “We did not agree with a lot of the decisions that they came to.”
Hardin tried reaching out to his GM representatives but hasn’t gotten a response.
Recently, Hardin Buick Pontiac GMC took its case to the people with StopGM.net Web site, where supporters can find sample letters to send to the automaker or government representatives.
Lobbying government officials could benefit local dealerships, as a proposed $1.1 trillion spending package expected to be signed by President Obama gives GM and Chrysler dealers the right to arbitration in these cases.
Hardin is hopeful that he can get his dealership reinstated through arbitration. But right now, his business is in limbo.
The dealership can’t order new cars from GM and only has a handful to sell.
Hardin Buick Pontiac GMC refers customers to the family’s other dealerships, Hardin Honda and Hardin Hyundai, both in Anaheim. Hardin also is opening Garden Grove Hyundai in the former Union Dodge location.
In the meantime, the GM dealership’s service and parts department has helped defray the costs in keeping the dealership opened, he said.
If Hardin doesn’t win an appeal, he says he’ll be disappointed but will seek another franchise.
New Dealership
A new Mercedes-Benz dealership has opened: Foothill Ranch Mercedes-Benz.
Lorelei Pingree is one of the principal owners of the dealership. She also owns Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel.
The new dealership brings OC’s Mercedes dealer tally to four. The others are: House of Imports in Buena Park, Mercedes-Benz of Anaheim and Fletcher Jones Motorcars in Newport Beach.
Triangle Square’s Shape
Triangle Square in Costa Mesa appears to be taking shape.
The 191,000-square-foot, two-story shopping center at the end of the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway has a couple of new tenants.
House of Dealz furniture store has taken up nearly the entire first floor below the Yard House. Water’s Edge, an art gallery, also has moved in.
Other tenants at the mall include nightclub Sutra Lounge, Chronic Cantina and an Edwards movie theater, operated by Regal Entertainment Group.
The 17-year-old Triangle Square, bought by Newport Beach-based Greenlaw Partners LLC in 2006, was once home to stores such as NikeTown, Gap, Barnes & Noble and The Closet, which shut down and reopened on Newport Boulevard.
Management turnover and problems attracting shoppers to the center led several retailers to flee.
Across the street from Triangle Square at 19th Street and Newport Boulevard, Borders Bookstore is set to close in January.
Mother’s Market & Kitchen’s nearby 17th Street location in Costa Mesa will be relocating to the closing Border’s site, which has plenty of dedicated parking for a grocer.
Triangle Square once had a Whole Foods Market in the basement level, but it didn’t thrive because of accessibility problems.
On the other side of Triangle Square in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles-based Festival Cos. is sprucing up The Courtyards, which is getting fresh paint.
The Courtyards major tenants include Beverages & More, 24-Hour Fitness, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Styles for Less and Crossroads Trading Co., a second-hand clothing store.
7-Eleven
7-Eleven Inc., part of Japan’s Seven & I Holdings Co., opened three stores in Orange County: in Stanton, Cypress and Santa Ana. The convenience chain, which has its Southwest headquarters in Brea, has been on a spree converting mom and pop stores into 7-Elevens.
The Stanton and Santa Ana stores are converted stores, part of 7-Eleven’s Business Conversion Program, and the Cypress store is new.
There are about 100,000 convenience stores nationally and the majority of those are independents.
7-Eleven is the biggest convenience chain with 5,600 stores in the U.S.
