WINONA, Minn. – The Chrysler Winona car dealership hopes to be relocated on the south side of ghe Winona Mall, behind the Sugarloaf Ford dealership, by the end of July, co-owner Andy Puetz said. Architects are still working on the final design, but the plan, he said, is to keep a combined Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram showroom like now but larger. The new showroom will accommodate four vehicles, more than the present two. Outside will be space for the dealership’s normal inventory of 60 to 80 new vehicles and a similar number of pre-owned vehicles, he said. The move makes business sense, he said, noting that the Huff Street site – once a Chevrolet and Toyota dealership – is rented. Building new from scratch elsewhere, he said, was financially advantageous. The new site comprises most of the the former south Mall parking lot: “To the back and to the left if you were to stand on the Highway 61 facing the Ford store, it’s the northwest corner.”
Kwik Trip? Joe’s Tires?
Puetz said he had no idea about persistent chatter around town that Kwk Trip wants to build a convenience store at the current Chrysler site at 121 Huff Stret site: “We do not own the current building we are in, so we are not involved with the remarketing of it. We are not aware of any suitors.” the usual Kwik Trip spokesperson at corporate headquarters in LaCrosse has failed to respond to media queries. About other scuttlebutt, Puetz said it’s untrue that Joe’s Tires, at 1252 W Service Drive next to Sugarloaf Ford, is part of the deal.
Current home. At Huff and Second streets.
Verbatim
Puetz: “While we enjoyed being downtown for many years, and hoped to be for several more, our circumstances dictated us moving to a new location to be the most feasible and affordable. We will be able to be in a facility for less than what it would cost to purchase the current one, and yet have a brand new building in a higher visibility location. It was the only alternative that really made sense in the end. We will have room for all of our employees and customers will enjoy the same great service that they are used to having.”
Puetz. Co-owner, general manager.