LaRiche turns over the keys to Toyota, Subaru

Bob LaRiche handed over the keys to his dealership Tuesday and began his retirement. LaRiche Toyota and LaRiche Subaru, at the corner of Plaza Street and Tiffin Avenue, are now Great Lakes Toyota and Great Lakes Subaru. The new owner, out of Akron, has two Honda dealerships in that area and a Hyundai store, and owns Capital Kia in Columbus. LaRiche's last deal at his dealership was bittersweet. "We have have had Toyota for 33 (years). We've had Subaru for 39," he said. "It's exciting to retire. But also, I've done this for so long that, getting out of the habit of being around all of the sales people and my managers. I mean, I've got so many good friends here over the years. "It's tough. My wife and I have shed a lot of tears," he said. "But it's just time for time for us to make those changes." Of all the years he was running the dealership, the one that stands out most is 2009. It brought a major highlight. It also brought the biggest challenge to the business. Decades of success and growth led to the dealership that year creating a 32,000-square-foot building, replacing the original 5,500-square-foot one. But it also was the middle of the Great Recession, and car sales were slumping at LaRiche as they were nationwide. LaRiche had seen recessions before, but this one was worse. Toyota recalled millions of its cars that year and in early 2010 for possible acceleration problems. It scared away some customers for LaRiche and other Toyota dealers. "We were going from selling about 70 Toyotas a month down to about 15 for about five or six straight months. It was that crazy," LaRiche said. "We did lose customers over that. That was one of the toughest times." LaRiche's dealership weathered that adversity. "We just kept our course. We kept doing what we did every day. We didn't stop advertising," he said. "And it really brought us through. We came out the other end and just kept going." Having a strong, loyal customer base through the years probably helped. "We have over a dozen families that have bought 15 cars or more … moms and dads, children," he said. "The repeat and referral business. That tells you everything of how you are running your store." LaRiche, 56, and his wife, Tiare, will not be moving. They plan to be active in the community and to spend more time with their grandchildren. The LaRiche dealership on East Main Cross Street is owned by Bob's brother, John, and will not be sold. Wilin: 419-427-8413