Chrysler dealership will stop selling vehicles after June 9
By Joe Paul
Since 1924, Madere’s Garage has been in business in St. Charles Parish, and in the late 1950s, the business sold its first automobile.
But on June 9, the fixture on River Road across from the courthouse will sell its final Chrysler vehicle, another casualty of Detroit’s economic woes.
Co-owner Jan Madere said the news that his dealership would join 16 other Louisiana ones among the 789 nationwide whose franchises will be terminated was tough although the garage will still be around. The company received the news May 15.
“We plan on staying open as a repair facility, but we’ll be gone as far as the automobile dealership,” he said.
Tire sales will also continue.
Madere’s Garage is a third-generation business, and three family members run the shop today.
Madere said the news was not a complete surprise, but it was still a tough pill to swallow.
“We always knew that the possibility existed, but we didn’t know until two hours before the announcement,” he said.
“How do you take it when they tell you that they don’t want you anymore, but you’ve been in business with them for 60 years? It was tough but we’re going to sort through it.”
Chrysler, which is operating on government loans and filed for bankruptcy reorganization this month, says it decided which dealers to cut based on sales, customer satisfaction rates, how much capital they have on hand and whether the dealer sells all three company brands under one roof.
While Madere’s Garage has the equipment and manpower to convert into a service only facility, the change, itself, is a bit more complicated. Because of Chrysler’s bankruptcy, Madere said the company doesn’t want any of its vehicles back.
“The order right now is to sell them or redistribute them. We’re trying to sell every one that we can right now,”
Madere said, adding that the dealership has until June 9 to move its remaining inventory.
“We’ll have to end up selling them one way or another, either through the auction or any way that we can. Chrysler said they might redistribute them for us, but they give no guarantees.”
America’s slowing demand for new vehicles (the cause of Chrysler’s pending bankruptcy) may actually be a blessing for Madere’s Garage’s new focus – servicing existing vehicles. Although Madere said he doesn’t see the market turning around any time soon, he is hoping that will mean a minor boom in demand for maintenance.
Remaining in business for more than 80 years means the company has seen it all, but Madere said this challenge will be the garage’s toughest.
“It has always been a challenge selling automobiles because of the competition,” he said. “Now, the competition is tough, financing is hard to get because the financing world is in a tailspin.
“It is just a combination of a number of things that has made business what it is today.”
As for the future, Madere said he hopes the community support his company has enjoyed for the past 80-plus years will continue and help the long-time St. Charles business weather this economic storm.
“We’re still going to be here,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to sell the new vehicles or do warranty repair work on those vehicles, but we will be here to serve our customer’s maintenance needs.”
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