Dateline: May 14, 2009

Stanley Automotive closes GM dealership

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

One of the largest private employers in Clarendon closed its doors Thursday morning.

A corporate official confirmed that Stanley Auto Enterprises had permanently shut down its General Motors dealership, which was known for decades as Chamberlain Motor Company.

“The rumors are true,” Becky Enderbrock told the Enterprise. “We have shut down here due to the tough economic conditions.”

The dozen or more employees by Stanley’s are now out of work.

“They can apply at any of our other dealerships,” Endebrock said.

The Stanley group operates more than two dozen other auto dealerships, including a Ford dealership in Childress, but Endebrock said the Clarendon store is the only one she knows of that is closing.

“It was a very tough decision and not easy to make because it would effect a lot of lives,” she said.

The local dealership was established by Fred E. Chamberlain, Jr., in 1956. The Chamberlain family sold the business in 2002, and it came under the Stanley name in 2006.

The Enterprise will have more information next week about the impact of this closure to the local community.