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Nostalgia and no-dicker sticker formula
for success at Liberty Bay
By Bruce Bordenick |
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| The showroom at Poulsbo’s Liberty Bay Auto Sales is a bit like an automotive memorabilia museum. It features restored vintage gas pumps, signs, and oh yes, cars as well. |
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When you step inside Liberty Bay Auto Center, you immediately notice the vintage 1961 Corvette roadster with “RARE JWL” on the license plates. This shiny blue car, owned and restored by Aaron and Tara Strom of Bainbridge Island, runs like a top – just like Liberty Bay.
Located in Poulsbo, Liberty Bay’s primary businesses are the sale and repair of automobiles. In business since 1989, Doug prides himself on offering “top notch used cars.” The vehicles, usually low mileage local trade-ins and lease returns, are all marked with an asking price and the “blue book” value. Most cars come with a two-day money back guarantee and a limited ninety-day warranty. All of the cars, trucks and SUV’s undergo a 42 point safety and value inspection at Liberty Bay’s AAA approved service department.
Alone, the return guarantee, “no-dicker” prices, and ninety-day warranty would be enough reason to check out Liberty Bay. But there’s something more. Lots of Haughton’s restored automobile memorabilia is displayed in the showroom, including a 1929 Wayne 615, a “visible” gas pump. Posted adjacent to the pump is an explanation of how the pump works. Gasoline is pumped into a clear calibrated glass cylinder, then drained into a car’s gas tank using the force of gravity.
The gas pump had a price tag, indicating that Haughton would part with it for a mere $3,900. A “newer” restored pump, a blue and white Erie model 748 with the familiar Chevron name on it, was priced at $3,500. Not everything has a price tag (like the Corvette), but according to one salesman I talked to, “everything is for sale at the right price.”
Liberty Bay’s showroom is clean, open and has an “old-time” feel, with the names of sales staff stamped onto replica license plates. This warm nostalgic atmosphere isn’t a gimmick. Haughton runs what he calls a “people oriented business” focused on customer satisfaction. His business card, which says that Liberty Bay Auto Center is “always worth the drive,” tells the whole story. |
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