Don鈥檛 let the sign, or signs, fool you. Good Used Cars is still a pre-owned car lot, although it鈥檚 fair to say for years it has been stretching the definition to encompass descriptors like curiosity, museum or portal-through-time.
Anyone would be forgiven for thinking, from its appearance, that the 22-year-old business, at the corner of Fisher Road and the Trans-sa国际传媒 Highway in Cobble Hill, is some kind of antique market or hipster haven.
Vintage gas-station signs compete with the business鈥檚 banner sign for attention on the outside, while countless others聽shilling cigarettes, auto parts and soda pop adorn the inside.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice atmosphere for the customers,鈥� said general sales manager Keith Hamilton, who joined the firm about two years ago after working in new-car dealerships in Victoria. 鈥淚n fact, in the summer we get a lot of people just coming in. They鈥檙e not looking for a car, but they just want to come in and have a look around.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool, it鈥檚 like a mini museum.鈥�
The collection shows off both authentic old signs and paraphernalia as well as some replica work 鈥� most of it auto-related, though not exclusively 鈥� and it includes cabinets with vintage toys, die-cast metal cars, bottles, Pez dispensers, Coke machines, gas pumps and all manner of curiosities from decades ago. The collection is always growing, and people often drop off signs to add to it, Hamilton said.
It started with owner Richard Bond, who founded the company in Duncan in 1994. Although he has more or less retired, sons Cameron and Robin still work in the business.
The firm moved to its current Cobble Hill location about 15 years ago, and along with the fleet of used cars, it brought the collection of signs and artifacts.
The 1,000-square-foot main building and showroom are covered in the collectibles, with a secondary building on the site also well decked-out.
鈥淭he Bond [family] have collected the signs for more than 20 years, and a lot of people have tried to buy them, but I always say no,鈥� Hamilton said.
The operation of the car lot reflects the decor of the business. Hamilton said there are no salesmen in ties, and the idea is to create a comfortable and no-pressure sales environment.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a fun place to come to work every day; we have a good time here,鈥� he said.
