By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMES NEWS EDITOR
CLAREMONT, N.H. — There was lots of activity at McGee Mazda Claremont on Saturday as the dealership held its Clearing for Construction Yard Sale, making way for its new building.
The dealership is moving to its temporary location at 798 Main Street and will be there for about a year. The old dealership will permanently close on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Proceeds from the sale are going to the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, celebrating 100 years of caring for animals in Windsor, Vt.
General Manager Sean Fitzgerald said “almost everything” is for sale.
“We have a couple of things we’re bringing to the new building,” said Fitzgerald. “What’s happening here is we’re constructing a brand-new building, and the old building is being demolished Monday.”
The dealership will move into its new building in the summer of 2024.
“Mazda has refaced their whole brand,” he said. “They’re going to build an $8 million building, and nothing is going to be the same.”
He said the new location will be set back off the road and will be customer facing.
“I would think the community has some emotional ties to the building,” he said about the current brick-and-mortar location. “This building has been here since 1952, I think; it was Howell Motors before, then McGee Auto Group bought it, and the Toyota store operated out of here for a little bit before they built their new building. There is a lot of history here.”
Fitzgerald said they’d sold the railing off the wall.
“An older couple needed a new railing for their basement, so they bought it,” he said. “There are totes full of owners’ manuals for people who collect those, office chairs, desks, fake plants, vanities, anything that’s not attached. If you can detach it, you can have it.”
He felt lucky the city of Claremont approved the temporary location.
“The place will have a three-bay garage, so the service [department] will be up and running,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a beautiful property by the Ascutney Railroad Bridge.”
Regardless of its location, Fitzgerald said customer service remains the cornerstone of McGee Mazda Claremont.
“This is a great area,” he said. “I grew up 30 minutes from here, and there is a great customer base. It’s going to be a challenge moving, but we’ll do it as seamlessly as possible. There may be some bumps in the road, but I think it’s going to go pretty smoothly. We’re determined to make our customer experience as good or better in the new location.”
McGee Mazda Claremont will be temporarily located at 114 Charlestown Road.
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