Linden, Texas, losing long-time car dealership

 Lanier Chevrolet sits snugly at 311 W. Houston St. in Linden, Texas. The 70-year-old family business is closing July 30.
Lanier Chevrolet sits snugly at 311 W. Houston St. in Linden, Texas. The 70-year-old family business is closing July 30.

LINDEN, Texas - A business with 70 years of experience is closing in this small town 40 miles southwest of Texarkana on U.S. Highway 59.

Lanier Chevrolet, begun in 1951, will remain locked at the end of the day Friday, according to owner Glenn Lanier.

Glenn's father Tom Lanier had begun the dealership in 1951. Glenn, the youngest son of Tom and Cissi Lanier, bought out his father in January, 1993. The business also operates under the name Linden Auto Center.

Lanier Chevrolet dealership held a General Motors franchise for 58 years when in 2010 this franchise and many others were closed due to financial difficulties for the corporation.

The loss of that franchise had been the effective reason for the decline and move towards closure, Lanier said. The other reason, he said, is that he and his wife Melissa wish to be closer to their grandson Bradley and wife Suzanne Lanier and their two children who live in Bryan, Texas.

"We'll be moving to College Station. Our timeline for this move had changed following the deaths of my father Tom in 2011 and my mother Cissi in 2020," Lanier said.

Lanier Chevrolet has three employees that will be affected.

Announcement of the closure brought a jolt of shock to the community - the couty seat of Cass County - when announced last week. The Lanier family had first come to Linden in the 1850s and were well known. To point, just south of Linden, the Lanier community, once had cotton gin, store and railroad stop.

Cissi and Tom Lanier raised five children in Linden, and through the years the family was identified with and led in almost every positive community endeavor.

It is not for certain the building will remain empty and business entirely close. There have been inquiries, Glenn said, but nothing certain at the moment.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: See the Wednesday Regional News pages in the Texarkana Gazette for a deeper dive and more photographs on this subject.)

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