WESTBROOK – It’s been 20 years since David Kennerson opened Norman-David Lincoln Mercury at 140 Larrabee Road, which made closing the franchise a tough move to make.

“It was very hard, because I’d been affiliated with it for so long,” he said this week.

Kennerson said the dealership officially closed on Aug. 19 after he sold the franchise back to Ford Motor Co. Kennerson still owns the building, and leased it to Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Kennerson first got into the auto business in 1974, working as a parts manager at what was once Swearingen Motors on Forest Avenue, where the Hannaford supermarket is today.

In 1988, Kennerson said, he opened an Isuzu dealership in Windham, at 665 Roosevelt Trail (Route 302).

“It was just a used car lot at the time,” he said.

Around that time, the “Norman” in Norman-David, Norman Greenberg, sold his franchise, which was then a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, on Larrabee Road. Three years later, Kennerson bought them back and re-opened the dealership in 1991 under the name Norman-David Lincoln Mercury.

Greenberg had left the business, eventually moving to Florida, but Kennerson said he kept the name on the business to honor him, and because the public recognized the name. The company continued to sell both brands until Ford discontinued the Mercury line last year, Kennerson said.

Kennerson said Ford as a company is looking to consolidate dealerships nationwide, including Lincoln dealerships, which led to the company offering to buy Kennerson’s franchise.

“They feel they have way too many (Lincoln) dealerships across the country,” he said. “They gave me the opportunity to make the move, and I leased the building to Enterprise,” he said.

A spokesman for Ford was not available for comment. On Monday, the only sign of the former Lincoln dealership was the Lincoln logo, which was mostly covered up on the company’s sign. Underneath it, another sign read, “Norman David Suzuki located in Windham.”

Enterprise has already moved into the location.

In addition to still owning the Larrabee Road property, Kennerson said he still owns and operates his Windham dealership, which is now a Suzuki dealer. None of his employees were laid off – Kennerson said he offered all of them jobs at the Windham dealership, and all but two chose to move with him to the Windham location.

“It’s a small operation, but we’re still giving the service people expect,” he said.

Kennerson said Aug. 19 was an emotional day. Many of his longtime customers gave him hugs, a sign of the relationships he has built with them over the years, he said.

“They became my friends,” he said.

Kennerson said he informed his longtime customers with a leaflet sent through the mail, and he also posted a newspaper ad with a letter thanking his customers for their business over the years. Current Lincoln warranty holders, he said, will find any Ford or Lincoln dealer anywhere will honor the warranty.

Across the street from the former dealership is Rowe Ford, which has been there since the early 1960s, according to Gary Caron, general sales manager.

Caron declined to comment in detail on the closing of Norman-David, but when asked if his dealership would honor Lincoln-related warranty repairs and service, he said, “absolutely.”

Kennerson said his former Lincoln franchise is now in limbo, but Caron hinted that Rowe may take it over. When asked, he said, “We’re pursuing it, yes,” and declined further comment.

The nearly blacked-out Lincoln logo, top, is all that remains of
Norman-David Lincoln/Mercury, at 140 Larrabee Road in Westbrook.
The car dealership closed its doors after 20 years on Aug. 19.
(Staff photo by Sean Murphy)

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