March 12 2018, 2018

Toyota Nostalgia

Its always fun to learn about your past--where you came from, your 4Runner's (pun intended!). On that topic of nostalgia and dealership history, I had an interesting email from a customer last week. Michael Conaway emailed me out of the blue, and asked me if I had ever heard of "Downtown Toyota of Bloomington". Michael had found an old door emblem that said "Downtown Toyota" and wondered if I had ever heard of it. I hadn't heard of that store, but I asked Mr. Royal if he had ever heard of that store.

Mr. Royal told me that was the name of the Toyota franchise in Bloomington, one franchisee BEFORE he purchased the franchise. He purchased it from a Mr. Fox, and apparently Mr. Fox purchased it from the operator who called it "Downtown Toyota". While we don't know much about the previous franchisee, it is neat to know more about our brand's history here in Bloomington.

Michael, the customer who emailed me with the old emblem, also shared some pictures of his 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged. He gave me some details about where it came from--right off the showroom floor at "Hightower Toyota" of La Crescenta, California! I love old Toyota history like that.

So, if you ever have a story to swap about an old Toyota you used to own, or an experience you had here in Bloomington with Toyota--know that I'm an avid collector, and I'd be happy to give you a cup of coffee here in at the dealership while you tell me about it!