Hope Auto Celebrates 100 Years

Only a handful of car dealerships in the state of Arkansas can boast of 100 years of service but Hope’s Ford dealership can.  The iconic business celebrated Thursday with a ribbon-cutting to mark the occasion.

Hope Auto is actually 102 years old.  The dealership began in 1921 on 2nd Street in downtown Hope.  The original dealership many remember was originally built as a single story building but was extensively remodeled and expanded when the selling of Fords was turned into a stand-alone business.  Prior to the establishment of Hope Auto, Fords were sold at Hope Hardware (now LaGrone Williams Hardware).  Those early Model-T cars were shipped by rail to Hope Hardware.  The vehicles were prepared for sale upstairs and brought down by a gravity elevator.

The McLarty family has been involved with the dealership since the beginning.  Their commitment to Hope led to a new facility being constructed on North Hervey in the early 1980’s.  When this building suffered a devastating fire in the early years of the 21st century, the McLarty family let the community know the dealership would continue and immediately began working out of an undamaged building on the site.  As soon as possible a brand-new building was constructed and connected to the existing structure and Hope’s Ford dealer began a new chapter.

Hope Auto added the Chevrolet/Buick/GMC dealership several years ago which means Hope, with four lines of new vehicles, offers more new-car lines than most small towns in the Ark-La-Tex.

Our best wishes go to the McLarty family and their employees as they celebrate this milestone.  And all of us in southwest Arkansas look forward to the next 100 years of service from Hope Auto!