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The classic car scene around Pleasanton shifted this month when the long-time owner of Specialty Classic Car sales shuttered his First Street business.
It came near the two-year anniversary of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association leaving its Pleasanton headquarters in Quarry Lane Business Park for new headquarters overlooking the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. Founder Gary Meadors had operated the company in Pleasanton for most of its history. He turned the reins over to his son, Marc Meadors, in 2009.
The company operates weekend car shows across the country, starting here in Pleasanton with its famed West Coast Nationals in August. Chatting with Goodguys Chief Operator Officer Andrew Ebel, a native Californian, he explained that the pandemic lockdown changed their event business forever and forced a hard look at how they’d been operating.
They went from 19-20 live shows a year to 1-2 in 2021 and a few more in 2022. The association does three shows a year in Pleasanton at the fairgrounds (May, August and November) with the rest of the shows scattered across the country. They do two in Texas and Arizona annually with other states hosting just one event.
The Dallas-Fort Worth location is far more central. Many employees typically travel to shows so that location means less time on airplanes.
In addition to the logistical advantages, there’s also the dramatic difference in the business climate and approach to climate change. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has banned the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles after 2035, while the state air board, which lives in some state of suspended reality, wants to ban all diesel-powered 18-wheelers. Just how goods will be supplied with new, very expensive electric tractors that have less range is a question board members seemed to conveniently ignore.
Ebel pointed out that once California was welcoming to the hot rod culture and noted that there’s still a strong group of fans in the Bay Area and beyond who come to the fairgrounds shows.
Texas welcomes fossil fuel production and vehicles that use it.
He said they still have about 25% of their employees in the Bay Area. For those in Fort Worth, they’ve found their purchasing power—particularly in real estate but not limited to that—is significantly greater than in the Bay Area. Notably, Ebel said the area is a bit more laid back than the Bay Area although it lacks the wonderful natural amenities that are so easily in reach (the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite, Monterey/Carmel, wine country and the beaches). It’s flat there and the ocean or mountains are hours away.
Turning to First Street, Specialty had operated its consignment sales business there starting in 1978. At one point, the business grew to showrooms in Fairfield and Benicia as well, but the owner decided to close the business entirely. What’s ahead for the two old warehouses, owned by the same person, is an open question. The city has received no inquiries about the parcel.