“Honda cycle shop closing in Hickory” |
| Honda cycle shop closing in Hickory Posted: 26 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Johnny Ellis looks over a Honda Gold Wing in the showroom of his motorcycle dealership. HICKORY -- A sour economy has claimed another business in Hickory. JE's Honda Motorcycles will close in mid-December after 14 years in Hickory. "It's the economy," said owner Johnny Ellis. "It's the logical thing for me to do at this point. Ellis said he did $4.5 million in sales during his best years, 2005 and 2006, at the former Bumgarner Pontiac site off U.S. 70 West. Now, sales are about one-third of that. "I decided last week to close," Ellis said. "A motorcycle is a luxury, not a have-to-have item. "Most people don't have discretionary money to spend right now," he said. Ellis has been a Hickory business owner since 1969. Before the Honda dealership, he had Deluxe Auto Sales, a pre-owned car company. The dual-layer showroom at the Honda shop has cycles for little folks, off-road machines, four-wheelers and motorbikes. There are also a couple of Gold Wings, Honda's flagship touring motorcycle. Two imposing personal watercraft cover an interior wall. Upstairs are helmets and other accessories, plus a large assortment of parts. "We'll try to maintain service and regular hours until we close," Ellis said. "I've had a lot of loyal customers over the years, and the service is why I haven't set a specific date for closing." The dealership will offer some special prices on selected machines, and markdowns on some used bikes. But don't think JE's can slash the cost of the new motorcycles. Honda will take what Ellis can't sell. Aftermarket parts and accessories, and deals on helmets and other items are being offered, Ellis said. He reflected on his employees he called "a fine group of people who have also been loyal to me." "I'm down to three full-time employees and one part-time," he said, from a high of 13 full-time associates. He cannot hide his feelings as he talks about his decade and a half at 633 Fourth St., SW. "I've had some really good people work for me and some really great customers." As Ellis ponders the mid-December closing, he looks over the gleaming motorcycles in his showroom. "Me? I'll just retire," he said. On the Net: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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