Claremont
VIP Tires & Service CEO John Quirk won the bidding at $700,000 for 364 and 366 Washington St. Only two others of the roughly 20 people on hand in the property’s parking lot participated in the bidding.
Shortly after the auction ended, Quirk told Claremont Planning and Development Director Nancy Merrill that his first order of business after the property closing will be to remove the graffiti scrawled on the side of the building that was the car showroom and service area.
Quirk said his goal is to complete extensive renovations and move the VIP store there, likely this fall.
“We are looking for more space because our repair business is growing,” Quirk said. “(Claremont) is a great store. Right now we have five bays and are looking to double that.”
He said the dealership building is in bad shape and it will take some time to develop renovation plans for both the interior and exterior.
Quirk, who bought VIP in September 2001, said the company sold its auto parts division to O’Reilly Auto Parts and O’Reilly now leases space in all 56 VIP locations. The Claremont store is at 323 Washington St., just down the road from the auctioned properties.
Mascoma Bank, which foreclosed on the Ford dealership property, paid all the back taxes, the auctioneer said before bidding began.
The previous owner, Arrien Schiltkamp, bought both properties in 2001 and operated a Ford Lincoln dealership until 2015 when financial difficulties forced the business to shut down. The New Hampshire Banking Department went after the dealership for failing to pay off nearly $600,000 in loans on customer’s trade-in vehicles. Eventually, Schiltkamp did pay the loans.
The properties, on 3.5 acres, have a combined assessed value of $979,000, with about 16,300 square feet.
VIP is based in Auburn, Maine, but Quirk lives in Massachusetts. He said his family started in the tire business when his grandfather opened a tire store in 1926.
