The end of September meant the end of the line for Subway Motors in Milford.
After serving Milford and the surrounding area for more that 50 years, the auto dealership and repair company was forced to close its doors for good after a fire in early May destroyed a large part of the building and left it without electricity.
“The whole side of the shop was unrepairable,” said owner Rod Hoppe, “and with the way the economy has been, I just didn’t think it was feasible to rebuild.”
The business became part of the Hoppe family life when Rod’s father, Roger, purchased way back in 1972, so Rod grew up with it and it was passed down to him when his father retired.
Hoppe said he’s been spending the last couple of weeks trying to finish cleaning out the business and working on a few cars when possible.
“I’m just trying to finish up with some of the good customers we’ve had over the years,” Hoppe said.
Hoppe said the company built up a strong presence in town by doing the little things that customers appreciated, such as picking up cars to work on while the customers were at work, and then taking the cars back when the repairs were done.
It was the little things like that helped Subway establish a strong clientele, he said.
“It’s going to be hard to leave this business behind,” said Hoppe. “The town has been good to us.”
Main Street Market in Milford has purchased the property, and Hoppe said he believes they plan on tearing down the existing struture and building a new store in its place.
While Hoppe said he believed the new grocery store will be good for Milford, he described having to close the business that has been his life since he was eight years old as “disappointing” and “heartbreaking.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do next,” he said. “It feels like a funeral.”
While he may not know what the future holds, Hoppe said he believes things will work out in the end.
“God’s got a plan,” he said. “I just hope it’s a good one.”
