Thomasville and General Motors have had a relationship that dates back to the 1940s, and Stamey Hardin is part of that rich tradition.

But when the Thomasville GM Superstore on National Highway turned up on a list of 1,800 retailers facing the chopping block thanks to General Motors filing for bankruptcy, Hardin had a feeling the relationship was nearing its end.

“General Motors has had its share of problems,” Hardin, owner of Thomasville GM Superstore, said. “They intended to reduce the number of franchise dealers they had in the United States. We were one they targeted. Smaller dealers suffered like anyone else with this recession.”

Once the reality set in, Hardin faced a difficult scenario — move his dealership somewhere else or stay in Thomasville and ride out the economic storm in a community he believes in. He chose the latter.

“Chevrolet and General Motors have always been part of the Thomasville community,” said Hardin. “We could’ve folded our tent and moved on, but Thomasville has always supported us and we want to give back to the community.”

For the first time in decades, the Chair City no longer will have a GM dealership in town as Hardin is going in a different direction in an effort to both save local jobs and keep his business right where it is — in Thomasville.

In order to do so, Hardin announced on Monday that he is partnering with NAPA to open a NAPA Auto Service Center in his current service department. The dealership, renamed Carolina Automotive, also will move away from the GM franchise and will start offering pre-owned vehicles of all makes and models.

“That’s where we’re heading with this,” said Hardin. “What we’re going to do by getting away from the franchise, while we won’t be able to sell the new cars, we’ll sell a lot of pre-owned cars up front. By maintaining the service center, we won’t be encumbered by the overhead of a franchise dealership. We’re pretty comfortable with the direction we’re going.

“I feel strong about Thomasville. The city has taken some strong licks in the past few years. There are a lot good things that are going to start happening here and we want to be a part of it. The last thing we need is another empty building. There were other options available but I always wanted to stay right here. This is home”

Hardin said the new service department will continue servicing GM model cars, but now also will be able to work on all other models, both domestic and imported. Hardin added that NAPA’s warrantees are just as strong as GMs and technicians are held to an even higher standard in certified training.

“It’s a big change for the community,” Hardin said. “Everything a dealer has, you have to pay General Motors for, from the brochures to the sign out front. It’s a very expensive overhead. Right now, Thomasville needs a good quality and affordable car care service. That’s what we’re going to provide for them.”

Hardin’s lot has looked bare the past couple of months, but that will change soon as the dealership moves forward. New signs are on the way and a fresh coat of yellow and blue paint are being applied to the service center.

Still, news of the change took employees by surprise.

“It came out of the blue and wasn’t expected at all,” said service manager Lawrence Hurd. “Once it sank in, I think it will be a nice change for us and Thomasville. We’ll be offering the same services only our prices will be less. We’re fortunate that Stamey is keeping all the employees. That’s very unusual in something like this. Stamey is taking on a lot by keeping us open, and we’re behind him 100 percent.”

Hardin expects the transition to be completed by next month. For more information, call 472-5650.



Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.