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Stewarts give up Buick franchise after 59 year run
Kenneth Stewart said, "It was time," noting he and his brother, Bob, aren't getting any younger. However, the Stewart brothers aren't retiring just yet. They will continue to offer non-warranty service work for their longtime customers and to sell late model used vehicles as they have for years alongside new Buicks. The termination of the franchise leaves Clarke County without a Buick dealer. Clarke County native Hopson Stewart had been in the car business for some time before he became a Buick dealer in September or October of 1948, explained his son, Kenneth. "He and his first cousin, Joe Hawkins, were in business together in Grove Hill as the Chrysler Plymouth dealers. Daddy sold out to Joe and later he was reading a magazine and saw a Buick ad. He wrote the company and asked if they'd be interested in having a Buick dealer in Jackson." A deal was struck and Hopson Stewart met a Mr. Campbell, a Buick representative, at the airport in Mobile where a contract was signed. "The first car he sold was a 1948 Roadmaster to Frank Coxwell, a local barber," Kenneth said. The price? "Probably around $3,200 or $3,300," Kenneth estimated, adding, "I still have that first invoice around here somewhere." J. F. McVay built the showroom on College Avenue that is still home to the business today. At the time it was considered to be on the north side of town. Today, the city has grown well past the location. In the early years, Howard Porter and Joe Henley sold Buicks at the dealership. Earl DuBose was the bookkeeper for nine years. Buick was a popular car in the early 1950s. The old Roadmasters and "Super" Buicks sported big straight eight engines with Dynaflow automatic transmissions. The changes over the years have been dramatic: Power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, V8 engines and front wheel drives. The dealership has been a family affair with three of Hopson Stewart's four sons making a career of working there. Kenneth Stewart joined the family dealership in 1956 after graduating from the University of Alabama. He is the oldest of the brothers. The youngest Stewart, Mac, worked in the business some too but has been in education most of his working life. Hopson Stewart died in 1995 and Kenneth, Bill and Bob continued to operate the dealership. Bill died in 1998 and Kenneth and Bob have run it since then. Bob Stewart said, "I started going with my daddy to buy cars when I was 13 years old." There have been various mechanics in and out of the shop over the years. A fixture has been L. C. Kimbell who has worked there for years. Stewart Buick has had a loyal and longtime customer base and prided itself on personal service. One Jackson resident, Jimmy Bumpers, has been a Stewart Buick customer consistently since buying his first Buick in 1953. "You can't find customers and friends better than that," Kenneth said. Often, Hopson Stewart or one of his sons would drive a new car out to a farmer's or teacher's home or a local business owner's store. After some visiting and some negotiating, the Stewart who made the visit would often drive off in the customer's old vehicle, leaving the new car in the driveway. Local Jackson customers whose cars needed servicing only had to call the dealership. "We'd tell them to leave the keys in the car and L. C. would pick it up, do what needed to be done and return it when it was finished," Kenneth explained.
Bob Stewart said, "We have appreciated the support of so many people over the years and we thank them for their Buick business. We will still be here for a while, just not as a Buick dealer."
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