Fondness for old cars leads to successful local business

Vintage: being of a past era, representing the high quality of another time. – Webster’s Dictionary

Few sights on the street will turn heads like a shiny classic car.

All dolled up and showroom clean, these cultural treasures attract plenty of attention. Groups gather around to admire them and maybe reminisce a bit.

And while most of us are content to do just that, there are others whose lives revolve around making those old cars like new again.

Jim Giordano, a self-described “car nut” is one of those.

“I’ve always been a car nut,” he says. “I love being around old cars.”

It might even be called an enjoyable obsession that he never gave up on. After 20 years of pretty serious dabbling in restoring and collecting old cars, Giordano, 48, was able to take it all to a whole new level when he opened Giordano’s Vintage Motors last summer.

He held his grand opening during last year’s 4th of July Celebration. He timed it well.

“There were thousands of people on the street,” he said. “And about 500 of them came into the showroom. It was a great opening day.”

And, to Giordano’s delight, it was also the beginning of a very successful year. Especially in light of the fact he had left behind a career in marketing, graphic design and professional art to focus his energies on what he had always loved. He had amassed quite a few collector cars during his hobby period, but to turn it into a real business he needed a “brick and mortar” place to set up shop.

During the search for a “showroom” he and his wife took a drive through the Snoqualmie Valley, a favorite scenic route. They came across the former home of the St. Vincent de Paul store on the corner of Tolt and Entwistle. The building was empty and in need of a tenant.

It didn’t take long for Giordano to fill the space. The 6,000 square-foot showroom is chock-full of old favorites, mostly from the ’50s and ’60s, including “muscle” and sports cars. Currently there are about 20 “collector vehicles” in the showroom of varying years, makes, models and condition. Besides cars, the business deals in motorcycles, parts, including European, and car memorabilia. Giordano always has lots of “project cars” as well.

“I used to feel kind of bad having so many project cars,” he said. “But I have found that they make for something affordable and interesting that people can work on.” He even has a vintage toy car. Resting comfortably on the top of one regular-size auto is a child-size model of a 1956 Pontiac Chieftain convertible, the same one actually given away during one of the Art Linkletter Houseparty television programs popular during the 1950s.

The place attracts not only buyers but a lot of browsers. A common phrase Giordano hears is, “I used to have one just like that.”

“It’s the ‘car that got away,’” as he puts it. “When the person was young, maybe they had to sell it when they got married or for some other reason and now they can afford to get another like it. It’s nostalgia.”

And not only are there full-size cars on the floor and miniature cars on the shelves, cars are also on the walls. As a tribute to his past profession and longtime obsession, his own paintings of – what else – classic cars complete the decor.

The business has gone global, thanks to the Web. At www.giocars.com, his inventory and other pertinent information can be found.

“More and more people are calling from the Web site,” he said. Giordano, a French-speaker, has done business internationally for over 20 years and finds the extra language ability to be a real asset.

In the past year he has sent a Porshe to Perth, Australia and another car to France, shipping others to places around the U.S.

Yet another new venture is in the planning stages. Giordano is working with an importer to bring in Mini-Coopers and Land Rovers from the ’60s and ’70s, some converted to using biodiesel or vegetable oil for fuel.

“They will be coming from the UK,” he says. “People will have an option to purchase these cars with gas or biodiesel engines.”

It is all great fun, he says. And more of the same is on the horizon. He is looking forward to this year’s Carnation 4th of July Celebration. Three of his vintage autos will be in the parade – ’66 and ’67 Ford Mustang convertibles and a ’67 Pontiac Firebird 400 convertible.

He will also be sponsoring a trophy for the “Best Vintage Car” to be awarded at the 10th annual Hot Rods and Harleys show to be held in the Bank of America parking lot. Information on that event can be found at www.carnation4th.org.

His young sons, Michael, 12, and David, 14, will be helping out again as they did last year. They are as enamored with the vintage car business as he is, Giordano says.

Part of the enjoyment of the business is the location, he says, because state Route 203 through the Snoqualmie Valley is considered a scenic byway.

“Car clubs have discovered the route,” he said. “And it’s so accessible.”