Quite the stunner: Motor Pool closes up shop...

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c44
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Quite the stunner: Motor Pool closes up shop...

Post by c44 » Mon Feb 17, 2025 4:09 pm

The Motor Pool is calling it quits and clearing out all its inventory...the website says this is for family and health reasons...but I'm guessing (after following the running commentary on the repercussions of upcoming tariffs) that in addition to those reasons, the uncertainty of the market has made the operation a little less fun than it was in less complicated times...

I'm gonna miss not only doing business with them but visiting their informative & entertaining website, with all the insights on the business end, previews of coming releases, military and aviation history, and all sorts of interesting stuff...the site was obviously a labor of love and was undoubtedly a whole lot of hard work...It will be missed and I don't think any other dealer has the time or inclination to pick up the slack (would be happy to be proven wrong :wink: )...hopefully, it stays up for a while...

So, best of luck in retirement, Motor Pool, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I'll miss ya' !!!
C44
...Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see...

lightning2000
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Re: Quite the stunner: Motor Pool closes up shop...

Post by lightning2000 » Tue Feb 25, 2025 9:03 am

Hi,
Thanks for the kind words and business over the years. Here's our latest blog post regarding our operation and personal situation:

It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times

We’ve been overwhelmed by the ground swell of support we’ve received since announcing our inventory liquidation sale on Monday. We thought we would close up shop due to an illness in the family — to be more specific my wife was diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). Naturally, I was overcome with grief and worried about our future when I heard the news, unsure what this sudden and potentially dire medical condition would mean to us.

Fortunately, we have a doctor in the family who immediately came to our rescue. She spirited my wife off to Dallas, Texas, where she lives and works and admitted her to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where my wife has been receiving extraordinary care. At its core, NPH means there is a build up of fluid in both the spine and brain, which can lead to all sorts of complications, from loss of balance to delirium and then some. To combat this, two procedures need to be performed – the first, draining of any fluid that has built up in the spine by performing a lumbar puncture, which was successfully done earlier this week. A second procedure involves inserting a shunt into the cranium, which then drains the head of any remaining fluid. The follow-on procedure is scheduled for early March and I’ll be flying to Dallas next week to be with my wife prior to and after the procedure has been performed.

Despite having a great 2024, I decided to announce my retirement and intended closure of our shop in 2025 after hearing the news. When I made that decision, several people indicated that it might be best to see how the second procedure turns out before going any further. That said, I reluctantly agreed, although I will eventually move our business, home and belongings to Dallas to be closer to our immediate family should anything else be required. I don’t know exactly when this will occur since this whole episode was unexpected and unplanned. I doubt it will happen in 2025 since there’s lots of moving parts and people to consider. Frankly, it isn’t the best time to either buy or sell a home. Our goal, therefore, is to change locales sometime next year, when I believe conditions will be more conducive to making a cross-country move. So, for now, our business will remain open and run as usual, even if it means having to fly back-and-forth to Dallas to see and be with my wife.

In the mean time, I thank you for your support and thought it made sense to share with you our present situation and how it may impact our business for the balance of the year. Its been a harrowing few weeks and hope we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when this crisis is behind us.
Create Your Own Battlefield in Miniature or Build Your Own Private War Museum...The Choice is Yours at The Motor Pool!

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