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| Architect's rendering of the proposed facility, 1963 |
Success, it is said, comes with a price. This was true for Reynolds Buick in the early 1960's. They were doing so well that they had outgrown their longtime location at Citrus and Badillo. The new Buick models- the Special series, the Skylark, the sporty personal luxury Riviera- were doing great in the marketplace. So great that the lot was jammed. And all of the storage lots in the city could only stall off the inevitable for so long- they had outgrown their location.
So Pete and his Dad began scouting locations. Closer to the new freeway, like the developers had done with Eastland Center. A spacious parcel was located on Citrus Ave, just across the border in West Covina. A local architect drew the rendering above for the new facility. Neat, clean, and modern- but not wasteful or extravagant. A tall glass showroom with lots of light, and a space age sign to announce the new location to the world. Note that the rendering even shows a 1963 Buick in the driveway- a classy touch.
It only took just over a year to build. The new facility dedication photos show the lot full of sparkling '64 Buicks and GMCs, and the towering sign is repeated on the congratulatory cake. The clean, modern facility was designed for years of service, and that it certainly has provided. There have been minimal changes since we moved in back in 1964, just in time to get ready for our 50th Anniversary.
Now we've got to start thinking about the 100th.
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| Newly completed Reynolds Buick-GMC, 1964 |
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| The sign makes its appearance on the cake. |
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| Pete Reynolds at his desk, with his sales managers. |
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| Pete and sales manager Jim Hutchinson pose with new 1971 Buicks. |
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| Pete and Don Reynolds welcome back the Reynolds Racers and their owners, 2010. |
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