In just over a month in the store, not many people know about it, although that’s about to change.
So far, Smith has just a little cubby hole next to the Sears car service center on the building’s east end. There is a large red and white company sign behind the small desk, but no signage outside the building, or even in the store.
You have to know the place is there — or go online to reserve a car — to notice.
“We’ve got our signs ordered,” said Smith, who grew up in New Carlisle and graduated from Tecumseh High School. She operates also an Avis franchise in Springfield and in Fairborn. “We’ll have them up, and soon I hope to have our space in the middle of the store. In a few years, I’d like to have my own building.”
Smith not only plans to advertise with signs and conventional advertising, but also plans to help as many community kids sports teams and community organizations as possible.
“I’ve got a lot of trophies in our store in Springfield,” Smith said. “We sponsored two baseball teams that went to the Little League World Series in Florida, and they wore our shirts with our name. You can’t ask for anything better.
“I want everybody to know about us.”
At any one time, Smith said, her Springfield store has 100 cars out, and Fairborn will have 80 rented.
In Trotwood, the store rented three a week for the first month, “and that’s without advertising,” Smith said.
She said also she generally will keep three on hand, but if she needs more, she can borrow from her other locations or the airport — everything from compact cars to 12-passenger vans.
The Trotwood store, managed by Jeremy Lipker and Sara Voss, is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. The number is (937) 837-2843.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDaily News.com.
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