SPRINGDALE — Steve Smith Country auto dealership could soon have a new owner.
Owner Steve Smith said Friday he wasn’t planning on selling the dealership at 6372 W. Sunset Ave., but Crain Automotive Holdings made him a “financially attractive offer.”
Smith opened his dealership in August 1984. Smith said Little Rock-based Crain Automotive Group plans to keep his staff of 35 employees.
“I have good people, people that have been with me a long time,” he said. “They have good relationships with the community. That’s what it takes to sell cars — good relationships.”
Crain Automotive Holdings purchased Kent Dobbs Hyundai dealerships in Bentonville and Springdale earlier this year. The company operates nine other dealerships in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville and Conway.
A call to Crain’s corporate office late Friday afternoon wasn’t immediately returned.
Smith said the deal must be approved by General Motors and could take 60 to 90 days. Steve Smith Country is a Buick and GMC dealership.
“The discussion has been going on for a long time and I kept telling them no,” he said, adding he accepted the offer last week.
Smith said he’s not sure what’s in store next for him.
“I’ll cross one bridge at a time. I’m not a person who sits around and not do anything,” he said. “I will be involved in the community somehow, one way or another.”