After months of trying to find out what type of auto dealership AutoNation, which owns and operates both new and used car dealerships, was planning to open (see site map), our editorial researcher Joel Provenzano was able to find out that the dealership under construction behind Cigars International on the south side of S.R. 56 will be a used car lot, similar to Carmax.
AutoNation USA, which also owns the Mercedes Benz of Wesley Chapel dealership on the east side of S.R. 56 (less than a half-mile from the under-construction used car dealership), owns 300+ new and used car dealerships across the country, making it the fourth largest owner of auto dealerships in the U.S.
One of the company’s used car slogans is “We’ll Buy Your Car” (“Even if you don’t buy ours”), as AutoNation provides its customers with a competitive, no-purchase-necessary, same-day cash offer that is valid for seven days, helping fuel its share of the used vehicle market while ensuring the most extensive selection available to AutoNation USA customers.
According to a statement from AutoNation’s public relations department, “AutoNation USA makes buying a pre-owned vehicle easy. (Our) One Price Pre-Owned vehicles feature a low, haggle-free price. AutoNation USA’s focus on customer excellence is what drives the organization to ensure that it maintains a favorable reputation, has the widest selection of quality used vehicles available across the network, along with low, no-haggle pricing, competitive financing, and streamlined online inventory tools that make vehicle selection easy.”
The AutoNation dealership will encompass a total of 22,723 sq. ft., with more than 11,000 of that the used car showroom and nearly 8,000 sq. ft. for the nine-lift service area.
For more information, visit AutoNation.com.
Black Rifle Coffee? No More!
Even though I had never had Black Rifle Coffee, I was excited — as many of you were — that a new non-Starbucks coffee place was planning to open in our area.
Many of us got even more excited when they saw the new building going vertical on S.R. 56, just west of Rock & Brews, thinking that it was Black Rifle getting ready to open.
Ummm, no. Although it hasn’t been widely reported, Black Rifle withdrew its plans to build a location with a drive-through in our area. The building that got a lot of folks excited will be a new Paradise Grills location (see below).
Black Rifle, founded and operated by U.S. military veterans, currently has 18 locations in several states, including two in Georgia. Ours would have been the second store in Florida, but unfortunately, unless it resurfaces, that plan is gone.
The only good news is that Black Rifle Coffee is available at local Walmart stores, so even though it’s not the same as experiencing it at one of the company’s shops, it’ll have to do.
Almost Paradise (Grills)!
Paradise Grills, the outdoor kitchen superstore, with a nearby location on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa, is the building in the bottom photo below that is under construction due west of Rock & Brews.
Paradise Grills allows you to design your own outdoor living experience, offering ten different grill islands and ten different bar systems to customize your outdoor kitchen, with lots of different available grills and accessories.
It’s a cool concept that already has about 50 locations in seven states, more than half of which are here in the Sunshine State.
For more information, visit ParadiseGrillsDirect.com.