CENTRE — The Ford dealership has been out of business for a couple of years now. The Chevrolet franchise was a victim of cutbacks in the wake of the federal government's bailout of General Motors. After those closings, the only automotive dealership left in Cherokee County was Alexander Dodge in Centre.

And its doors will be locked for good come Friday.

Sales Manager Charles Spears has been with the dealership for over 16 years, since the business was known as Weiss Lake Chevrolet (which came after Jim Bouchillon Chevrolet, which came after Cleveland Chevrolet, which came after C&B Chevrolet). He said the first hint of trouble for the business, in its present iteration inside the custom-designed, rock-columned showroom on West Main Street, came in the summer of 2008 when gasoline prices skyrocketed to $4 a gallon.

“It just seemed like the whole car industry changed at that time,” Spears said. “Two years ago, we were probably selling around 70 units a month, new and used. Last month, we sold four.”

Spears began his career at the Centre dealership as an automotive technician. A few months after he was hired on, the sales manager asked if he wanted to try his hand at sales. Spears gave it a shot, and liked it. He stayed on after the Alexander family, which has other dealerships in the state, took over the franchise in January 1996. Dodge products were added to the company's inventory in April 2001.

Now all those years of hard work – along with around 15 local jobs – are about to come to nothing.

“We would have had to sell 30 to 40 units a month to remain profitable,” he said. “And we probably haven't had a month like that in over a year.”

Spears said a combination of factors led to the closing. He admits that the loss of the General Motors franchise in 2009 was a severe blow. But he added that he gets frustrated whenever he drives into the parking lot of a local business or government entity and sees new vehicles purchased from out-of-county dealerships.

“We were getting more business from outside the county than inside the county, and that has bothered me for some time,” Spears said. “We do have a good number of loyal customers who come and trade with us. But I think we could have made it if we could have gotten more local support.”

Spears said he knows of no plans to reopen the dealership in the future if the economy turns around.

“Not at this time, I don't,” he said.

Spears said he hasn't yet taken a lot of time to look into his future. For now, he can only hope nearly two decades of experience will land him a job with another dealership after he gets Alexander Dodge completely shuttered.

“Right now, I'm planning on being here for a couple months to wind everything down and get the place closed out,” Spears said. “After that, I have no idea what I'll do. I'm going to try to stay in the automotive market, if possible.”

Spears said he knows the value of a loyal customer and will try to stay in touch with each and every one of his if he finds another sales position at another dealership.

“They feel let down, and I can't blame them,” he said. “They have been loyal to us and we appreciate that.”