Friday, June 21, 2013

Extinction

Classic Chevrolet, 40 Dickinson Street, Amherst RIP 

As of last week Amherst is down to its last video store and as of today, with the closing of Classic Chevrolet, we will no longer have a single car dealership left in town.

They say when thousands perish it's a "statistic" but when one dies it's a "tragedy."  Nationwide about 24,000 car dealerships service the American market, so perhaps one less dealership will not be missed, unless of course it's your hometown dealership.  The last of its kind.

The one that employed caring individuals skilled at what they do.

Sadly, 17 of our friends and neighbors will now have to find somewhere else to do it.

 A lot of history in that building

The automotive business, located at 40 Dickinson Street, just down the hill from the Dickinson Homestead,  transitioned from a horse drawn cab operation originally founded by the Paige brothers in 1883, three years before Miss Emily was "called back."

If you're a baby boomer who grew up in Amherst, at some point you came into contact with Paige's Chevrolet.  In fact I wore a Little League baseball uniform with their name stenciled across the back. The transition to Classic Chevrolet in 2002 was almost seamless.

Now, with the sale of the dealership to Burke Autos GMC in Northampton, the unbroken 130 years of service comes to a close.  Amherst trumpets the "shop local"  mantra at every opportunity.

Now that trumpet is playing "Taps."


 (Sad) Sign of the times

21 comments:

Tom McBride said...

My dad bought a black Chevy Nova there a long time ago when it was Paiges because he needed something conservative looking. I don't think it was that great a car, or at least as I remember. After that it was all Volvos and Japanese cars except for a Plymouth Van from the dealership that occupied the site Bertucci's is now on. One of the vehicles I own now is a Ford truck, but I only have it because it's a labor of love.

Anonymous said...

and in the attic of the dealership are hat molds from the hills hat operation. I've seen one and know that there are more up there in storage.
-Tom

Anonymous said...

Yes they Are Still There, Probably A Historic Artifact, Town Should Look into It.

Anonymous said...

THAT IS A HISTORIC BUILDING AND A SHAME ITS CLOSING. AMHERST SHOULD FUND TO KEEP IT A HISTORIC SITE.G. THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED AT CLASSIC WERE SOME OF THE KINDEST, MOST ACCOMMODATING PEOPLE I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT (ERIC, PAUL) AND THE GUYS WHO GAVE US RIDES (TIPPY, JOHN, PAUL) WERE A CHARM!!

Walter Graff said...

Balise sells Chevrolets. Great prices and huge selection.

Dr. Ed said...

They were the only Chevy parts guys that I didn't want to throw through a wall.

Anonymous said...

It's not the historic building that's closing just the dealership. The building will still be there.

Anonymous said...

With no idea of the hat history- I started doing a little research and found that Ebay has a postcard:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMHERST-MA-The-Hills-Co-Straw-Hat-Factory-/320573462003

Anonymous said...

The article sounds vaguely anti-amherst, I am sure the OP didn't intend it to sound that way, and maybe I'm just reading into it. The closing probably had nothing to do with Amherst's anti-business attitude and everything to do with the way people are buying cars now, and the fact that they need little maintenance as they have needed in years past.

Anonymous said...

my car seems to need all the maintenance in the world

Walter Graff said...

Small dealerships have a very difficult time in today's world and Classic was suffering for some time. Chevrolet is not the brand it was years ago. Since the Government wasted our money buying it only to leave it where it was and US taxpayers in a heap of sh$t many Chevrolet dealerships have folded. Chevrolet's still need the same maintenance they did ten years ago so that has little bearing on things.

Anonymous said...

This is sad news. I remember our driver ed car at ARHS was "Courtesy Of Paige's Chevrolet."

Anonymous said...

Would you still feel sad if the 17 lost jobs were replaced with 30 other jobs at the same location?

A downtown car dealership, in any city, is no longer a viable business. A Chevy dealership in a town where people don't drive a lot of Chevys is even less viable.

Do you have any idea what business will be going in at that location?

Larry Kelley said...

Yes, I would still feel sad.

No, I have no idea what business may move into the building.

Townie Forever said...

Thank you Larry for reporting on this important story. This isn't just the demise of 17 local jobs, but the end of an era. These 17 talented, friendly men and women were our friends and neighbors first and foremost!

Anonymous said...

too bad for our friends and neighbors who worked there, 17 Of the best at what they do

Anonymous said...

This town is too good for a car dealership. Maybe a pizza joint or coffee shop would do better.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Maybe a Dunkin' Donuts...

Matthew Cornell said...

Howdy, folks. Matt Cornell here next door to the former dealership. Has anyone heard plans about some kind of night club at the property being explored? A neighbor said she read about it in the Gazette last week, but I couldn't find anything. Obviously, as a family we would not be in favor of that! Thanks.

Larry Kelley said...

It took the Gazette a while to catch up with this sad story but they did not mention anything about a night club at that location.

I believe that would require Zoning Board approval and most likely the town's new Dickinson Historical District Committee as well.

Anonymous said...

Worked at Paige's in the eighty's. long list of "loyal" customers back in the day. Over half the town drove Chevrolets back then and all the business owners supported them.Remembering Bob Streeter,Tippy Lannon,Danny French
and Hodgie to name a few. Many worked there for over thirty years.Sad day for Amherst.