All posts by cs

Refreshment

social

Adventured a taste sip from the hotel lobby urn containing sliced cucumbers and unknown greens. Swamp back water? No, tasted like one would imagine a cucumber flavored drink. The other choice, next to, was a more conventional citrus. Sliced orange, lime, and lemon. That one, however, tasted like a bad mixed cocktail. Needed a cucumber chaser after that sample.

Stanislaus and M

cars

Circa 1961: Hillman – Sunbeam. Leach must have been required to take these brands to get the rights to sell Jaguar. Out of view on the NW corner was the new car showroom for Slavich Bros. During this era they began selling Mercedes-Benz through benefit of their Studebaker – Packard franchise. Several years later Toyota was added as Studebaker faded but the facility was just too small and Toyota was sold. This left Mercedes-Benz and Jeep — an unusual combo… The diagonal corner shown in the left of the picture was the Slavich Bros., used car lot. Ralph and Frank Slavich sold Willys after the war. Here is today’s: street view.

 

Slavich Bros. Inc. Fresno, California

You also will do better here!

cars

Difficult to imagine but in the bygone days of 1971 this was an authorized Mercedes-Benz showroom. This small facility, glassed with plate window at the time, displayed 2 new cars. There was a single desk shared by two salesmen.  The old building (originally The Larson Hotel)  had a sidewalk curb driveway leading through to a back interior space which housed a 5 bay Mercedes service department.  Adjacent (far right white façade with window awnings pictured) stood a Mercedes parts department.

Opposite (across street) was a main office showroom featuring Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Opel, Jeep (CJ-5), Hondacar (the N600, early Honda predecessor) , Subaru (GL) and the building can be seen in an 1988 historic picture (below). 

The original showroom; the current site is a Regal Cinemas multiplex

The dealership franchise was originally operated by one Claude L Allred

Circa 1968 entire conglomerate was owned by legendary car dealer Arnold Wiebe. Wiebe acquired an additional facility for authorized sales of British makes such as the Austin (America), Jensen (Healy and Interceptor), Lotus (Europa).

Radio media (spots) would boom his voice in a 20 second advertisement touting special pricing and encouraging the listener to drive to the corner of Main & Bridge in Visalia where “You Also Will Do Better Here!” and punctuated with “HAVE a Good Day!”