MTFCA Forum

Apparently it wasn't too hard to get a Ford dealership in the early days. I wonder if the coupe is "stock in trade" or there for repair ? This minimalist enterprise reminds me of Floyd Clymer's stories of being a Ford dealer in Berthoud, Colorado before he was even a teenager.

Sales Mgr., Parts Mgr. and Service Mgr. probably just had a stool. Mechanics worked from home

So in Taree, near where I live, this was the Ford dealership and service centre when Model T's were the Kings of the Road...
(The building is still there, but is now a furniture store)
Still in Taree, different address, and slightly different in appearance!

Seems to be an interesting colour combination on the early Taree Ford dealership T's, also the 2 with the tops up look to be the optional Khaki ones.

I like the old building in Taree a lot better! These new buildings are just butt ugly.

Great photo, Rich.
I can imagine working in a cozy little shop like that.
I remember a lot of Harley shops I visited in earlier days that could have gone back as far as those days. Little shops with lots of charm and an old character running it. That was before Harley mandated a modern building near the interstate or major thorofare. I wonder if Ford insisted on bigger shops at some time. Sometimes we lose the best things through improvement.
Do you suppose the lower part of the building was a shop also?
Rich

" Me and the Model T" by Sheller, can't remember the first name right now. A sort of true story of another country boy who became a Ford dealer in T days, in the Eastern Washington area. Dave in Bellingham, Wa

Rich Eagle wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:27 pm

. . .
Do you suppose the lower part of the building was a shop also?
Rich

From the look of it, I bet that little building had a full basement. No windows, at least on the side we can see - perhaps storage only ? It was probably built for a very different purpose before becoming the Ford garage.

Little shops? I remember Blasius Bros. They were there at least since the '20s - likely a good while before. It was mysterious, enchanting and dark !

Blasius Bros. Don't get me started. As kids we would stop in and see the line of Harleys before they changed to Hondas. A friend, Bob, recalls Charlie behind the counter and how magical it all was. They let me dig through obsolete parts in the late 60s. It was a dank, lava rock basement like so many in that old part of town. I wish I had photos of all of it. Anyhow, so fun to look at those old places.
Rich
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=282cce49 ... ODIy&ntb=1

Just playin' around, would need to fix the colours properly, but you get the idea....:

Notice the sign on the building in the original picture said Sales and Parts. It said nothing about Service. Due to the dealership's size, service was Do It Yourself.

Well I believe that was Henry Ford's concept anyway. The way he saw it, if you're going to own a car, you ought to know how it works so you can look after it properly, and fix it if it breaks down.
How times have changed. We are all so lazy now, just call Roadside Assist...
Realistically how many of us even do our own oil changes any more?

ModelTWoods wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:30 pm

Notice the sign on the building in the original picture said Sales and Parts. It said nothing about Service. Due to the dealership's size, service was Do It Yourself.