14/06/2008 09:12. Consolidation in the retail auto business has created mega dealerships that consist of dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of dealers under one corporate umbrella. This has made the old family-owned dealership an endangered species.

A refreshing exception is Tator's Dodge in South Salem, N.Y. It is something out of the early days of the automotive era. The dealership occupies the same spot on a country road that it did when it was founded in July 1914. It was one of the first 25 franchises awarded by the Dodge brothers. The other 24 franchises have either gone out of business or been sold.

Tator's Dodge is now run by Chuck Tator whose grandfather started the business with $800 and a horse. Tator's is one of the smallest volume Dodge dealers in the country.

Some think the dealership... // San Francisco Chronicle