Delaware businesses use classic cars to attract array of locals, tourists
Business owners often deploy an array of techniques to attract customers who are passing by. Sometimes, those efforts are intended to attract attention by enhancing the curb appeal of a business, whether it is a restaurant, antique store or some other retail outlet.
Throughout southern Delaware, one common attention getter involves placing a vintage vehicle outside. And that vintage iron might be a car, truck, tractor or early SUV.
For Ken Adams, avid collector car enthusiast and owner of Stockley's Tavern in Georgetown, the choice for an attention getter was obvious.
He placed a 1940 Ford pickup between the parking lot and highway, easily visible to those driving by on busy Route 113.
"I liked the patina and I thought it would look really cool out front," he said. "It is kinda like a sign but very distinctive."
Adams, a Ford enthusiast, bought the truck from Rob Meding, owner of a seafood restaurant in Milford.
Once in his possession, Adams had Rogers Sign Co. of Milton apply a vintage looking Stockley logo to the side of the truck.
"Most people think it is an old delivery truck for the tavern," he said.
Rich Bloch, owner of Dickens Parlour Theatre in Millville, has used several hot rods, including a Model A Ford and a 1933 Plymouth, to attract attention to his business.
Currently, he is using a 1925 Ford Model T fire truck.
"I was looking for some kind of statement that says, however silently, that this (theater) is not your average kind of place," Bloch said.
The red Model T, parked in front of the theater, is easily visible to travelers passing by on busy Atlantic Avenue.
"I think it says, this place is different," Bloch said.
Rich Garrahan, owner of the Crooked Hammock Brewery in Lewes, said he knew that he wanted to adorn the front of the restaurant with a very specific vehicle, one that cried "beach."
His choice: a '75 Jeep CJ5.
"The beach culture is part of our culture," Garrahan said.
With help from friends, Garrahan found a suitably crusty Jeep in Laurel. It looked like it had spent its entire life at the beach in nearby Cape Henlopen State Park.
The Jeep was towed to Lewes, parked directly in front of the main entrance and surrounded with sand and other beach artifacts.
"We buried it in the sand to give it a beach vibe," Garrahan said. "And we wanted it to be the centerpiece of our entrance. "
Richard Bryan, co-owner of the Goods by the Trail antique shop on Savannah Road in Lewes, decided to park his 1968 International Scout in front of the door, easily visible from the street.
To underscore the connection, he added a sign on the building that said "Stop in and Scout for Goods."
Bryan said the Scout, one of the earliest SUVs, was originally from Pennsylvania, where it was used to plow snow. He removed the plow and still occasionally uses the Scout to run errands.
Meanwhile, "we decided to use it as a prop for our shop," he said.
In Dagsboro, David and Karen Jayne decided that a vintage truck was the perfect ornament for their eclectic shop, Jayne's Reliable, which includes antiques, architectural salvage and local art.
Their choice: A 1961 Ford Econoline pickup that was originally owned by a California surfer and later sold to a farmer in Maryland.
Perched in front of the Jaynes' shop on Main Street at the busy intersection of routes 26 and 401, the attention-getting truck shows some real West Coast character.
In fact, both the windshield and rear windows have multiple government permit stickers, which were required for entry into Mexico.
For a while, they also had a vintage travel trailer next to the truck but it was sold to a customer.
The truck, said David Jayne, "is not for sale."
Karen Jayne said the truck has fulfilled its mission.
"We have people who stop by all the time to reminisce and take pictures," she said.
Though they plan to keep the Ford, David Jayne "hopes to have it back on the road some day."
The truck has not been running since 1985, when it was parked on the Maryland farm where David Jayne found it.
In Bridgeville, Antiques Alley has a 1954 Chevrolet one-ton truck parked between the building and busy Route 13, a major beach-going route.
In Ocean View, a produce stand features a Farmall tractor from the 1950s.
One of the most intriguing stories is connected to a 1972 Chevy pickup that is residing outside the new Matt's Fish Camp restaurant in Lewes.
Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, owner of the restaurant, said the truck was purchased years ago by company founder Matt Haley, who wanted it to pick up local farm produce for his restaurants.
Along the way, Haley discovered that the i.g. Burton Chevrolet dealership in Milford had originally sold it to a local farmer. Haley bought it from the second owner, a Rehoboth Beach businessman.
When Haley or employees weren't using the truck to haul fresh produce, Kammerer said it was parked at the company's Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View.
"It was intended to be a working truck," he said.
Along the way, Haley died in a motorcycle accident in India and the truck got stolen from its parking spot in Ocean View.
Police recovered it a month later in Crisfield, Maryland.
Kammerer said the Chevy, undamaged, was put back in service, and was used to haul supplies for the new Matt's Fish Camp, which opened in 2016.
"I never intended to leave it there," Kammerer said. "But a lot of people stopped by and said they liked it."
So the Chevy sits in front of the restaurant, poised to return to duty.
"It has gone from work truck to novelty," he said,
Meanwhile, Kammerer has decided that he likes the imagery it projects.
"It says we are a simple, humble restaurant, " he said.
And, a memory of the departed Matt Haley.
"It has become a part of SoDel history," he said.
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