General Motors dealership in Grand Marais to close
After 87 years of service in Cook County, GM will close its Grand Marais Motors dealership next year.
After 87 years of service in Cook County, GM will close its Grand Marais Motors dealership next year.
Grand Marais Motors received a letter May 22 notifying owners that the dealership would close by October 2010 after providing Chevrolet products in the region since 1923. Without support from GM, Grand Marais Motors will cease all operations.
Owner Gene Lashinski said the letter cited low sales figures as the reason for the closure, despite good customer service, high capital amounts and the lack of another nearby dealership to fill the service gap.
“It will create a big void because we are so far away from everything,” said Gene Lashinski. “Our sales are not big, but we sell a few. And our customer service is good. We treat you how we want to be treated; that is how you survive in a small town.”
Lashinski, owner of the dealership in 1996, has brought his five sons into the car business.
“We feel like we’ve been kicked in the head by GM,” Lashinski said.
Customers have written angry letters to GM stating that they won’t buy another GM if they pull out of Cook County, said Lashinski, who echoed that view.
Tags: grand marais, cook county, auto repair, business, auto, autobody, bank, chevrolet, employment, garage, job, money
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