Although I already have a slightly damaged Dept 56 Ford Dealership, I am very intrigued by the Menards Valley Motors Dealership. In 1963 my father purchased the Ford Dealership in Bremerton, WA. At the time it was known as Dunn Ford, but for many years before that it was Kerr Motors. The Ford dealership itself was located right in the middle of downtown Bremerton until 1971 when Dad convinced four other dealers to create the Big 5 Auto Center on the outskirts of town, one of the first multi-dealer auto complexes in Washington.
Although the original Kerr Motors Showroom area was not a rounded “Art Deco” window like Menards, this picture of the downtown store taken before a two story addition was added about 5 years before we bought it, definitely has the showroom featuring the early ‘50s pick-up and panel trucks Menards has chosen to highlight its model:
Our old store downtown has recently been remodeled into a combination of living and retail space, and our “new store in the renamed Bremerton Auto Center is now the Nissan dealership. The current Ford store is now part of the multi-dealership West Hills Autoplex adjacent to the Bremerton Auto Center.
Time marches on, but it can be remembered and even stand still on our layouts.
Cheers!
Alan
