Longtime area auto dealers have
'seen it all'
By JOE POTTER
The News-Sun
ALBION - A couple of longtime
Noble County auto dealers have seen many changes in the buying
and selling of automobiles over the years.
Ernest E. "Ernie" Leatherman, co-owner of Ernie Leatherman
Sales Co. of Albion, and Max Platt, owner of Max Platt Ford-Lincoln-Mercury
of Kendallville, have a combined 83 years of experience in the
automobile business.
Ernie Leatherman and his two brothers, Everett D. Leatherman
and Donald C. Leatherman, began selling and servicing Studebaker
cars and trucks in April 1949 at a new building they constructed
in the 1000 block of East Main Street in Albion.
They purchased Studebakers through Kenny Gardner at the Publix
Studebaker and Buick dealership in Kendallville from 1949-1955
and sold them at the Albion location. Also, they did a lot of
service work on milk haulers, heavy trucks and passenger cars.
The Leatherman brothers obtained their own Studebaker dealership
in 1956 and operated it until Studebaker ceased production in
1966.
In 1959, they also became a Ford dealership, and sold both Studebakers
and Fords.
His two brothers are no longer involved in the business, Ernie
Leatherman said. They sold out their interests to him and his
son, David Leatherman, in 1977.
David Leatherman, now a certified public accountant, is no longer
a co-owner, but still helps his father in operating the business.
Their Ford dealership closed in the winter of 1991 when a downsizing
resulted in 2,500 Ford dealerships closing nationwide. "I
was disappointed when the Ford dealership closed. It really hurt
for a while there, but we decided we had to go on," Leatherman
said, referring to himself and his wife, Virginia, who co-owns
Ernie Leatherman Sales Co.
Leatherman and his wife incorporated Ernie Leatherman Sales
Co. in January 1992.
The business is now located across the street from its original
location.
Platt purchased the former Johnny Roman Ford dealership in the
500 block of South Main Street in Kendallville in July 1973.
Prior to purchasing the dealership, Platt had worked for Bob
Miller Ford in Waterloo. He began there as a salesman when he
was a teen-ager and worked his way up to general manager.
Platt later added the Lincoln and Mercury lines to his dealership
in Kendallville.
"There's a special excitement level when I see a customer
and his family drive away in a new car," Platt said.
He has "seen it all" during the 26 years he has owned
his dealership, Platt said.
Interest rates in 1981 were as high as 21 percent for people
who wanted to buy a car. Also, during that time period, gasoline
went from 50 cents a gallon to $1.30 a gallon, causing the automobile
manufacturers to work harder to increase fuel economy ratings
on vehicles, he said.
Vehicles have become safer and more comfortable over the years,
and there has been a lot of growth in the sales of pickup trucks,
Platt said.
"When I started out, most families had one vehicle. Most
families now have two vehicles and lots of times one of them
is a truck," Platt said.
|