“I’m just lucky enough that I’ve never really had a job; I’ve always done exactly what I wanted. When you do that every day it’s not really a job,” Mershon said.
Mershon, who attended the local Joint Vocational School (now the Career Technology Center) for mechanic work, opened the shop in January 1981 after some local work in car sales. Several of the employees have been around since early on, like sales manager Bob Carpenter, who started in 1985.
When his dad hauled trucks for International Harvester out to California in the 1970s, Mershon said he would buy old Corvettes for around $1,000 and bring them back to Ohio in the empty truck to fix up and re-sell.
The shop now specializes in Corvettes, specifically from 1967. Mershon said they have sold the most Corvettes of anyone in the world.
Mershon’s love for classic cars was passed on to his family, including his son Shelby, named for the Mustangs and Cobras. Mershon said he’d always assumed his son would take over the business, but he met his wife in Phoenix and moved there.
Warrington is a good fit, being almost half Mershon’s age and having the same goals as him, he said.
“I wanted someone to continue on with the name and they had ... the advantage of youth, so maybe some fresh ideas but keep on the same moral compass that we had,” Mershon said.
The new owner was born and raised in Lima and worked at a few domestic car stores. Warrington said he learned about having a good experience for employees and clients at Performance Automotive Group in Columbus, something he plans to bring to Mershon’s.
“Everybody’s an equal here; it’s one team with one goal and that’s just to provide the absolute best experience and the best product we can,” Warrington said. “I think that’s going to be the way to take what Dan built and take it to the next level, because Dan built an empire here. ... He got things started [and] now it’s my job to kind of finish it.”
Warrington said he plans to carry on the Mershon’s name with pride, and feels privileged to do so.
“It’s honestly a privilege to take over a household name in Springfield and have the opportunity to grow it within the community and beyond,” Warrington said.
The new owner had worked with sales manager Carpenter when he sold exotic cars at Toy Barn in Columbus. Warrington said he would call Carpenter to get an appraisal.
“They’ve built such a cool thing here,” Warrington said. “That was the whole deal. I wouldn’t have bought the place had the staff not been willing to stay, because truly the team here is the heartbeat of this place. Dan I’m sure was a wonderful owner. I fully intend on being a great owner, but those guys are what makes the place roll.”
The shop’s new slogan is “Putting dream cars into garages since 1981,” Warrington said.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
He said he is focused on building passions for classic cars, and when children come into the shop wanting to check out a car, he is happy to allow them to do so. He said young people will remember how they were treated at a car dealership and if the seed is planted early the love will grow.
“I’ve had certain dealerships I’ve dealt with in the past that think they’re better than the people that come in the door,” Warrington said. “The first thing they say to [people with] kids is ‘Please make sure your kids don’t touch the car.’ If somebody told me that with my daughters, ‘All right, have a good day.’ We’re out.”
Mershon’s may eventually expand to somewhere like Florida where muscle cars are popular, Warrington said, but right now he’s focusing on Springfield.
Mershon, who lives in Arizona, said he will miss his employees, who have become family, the most. He’ll also miss the “tons and tons” of regular customers, many of whom have purchased dozens of cars over the years.
“You treat them fair and their neighbors buy something from you and their kids bought something and their friend’s neighbor; it’s just that kind of situation. It’s the referral thing,” Mershon said. “And I’ll miss that.”
He said he’ll stay in touch with a lot of these people, especially when he attends major car shows and spots something he knows they’re looking for.
Mershon has seen every continent but his goal is to spend more time in places he has visited before and “travel until I can’t” anymore.
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