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Radcliffe Motors


jakdad

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Does anyone remember Radcliffe Motors in downtown Houston. It was a big place with lots of cars. They had their own body shop and mechanic shop. I met Mr. Radcliffe down there on a Sunday afternoon around 1956 or 1957. Just curious what happened to the business.

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Was that the dealership that was in the Hogg Palace? Also, if you met there on a Sunday, were they open? I remember when the blue laws changed (1980's) and you could be open Saturday or Sunday, but not both. I assume back then that everything was closed on Sundays. What is the law currently?

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Was that the dealership that was in the Hogg Palace? Also, if you met there on a Sunday, were they open? I remember when the blue laws changed (1980's) and you could be open Saturday or Sunday, but not both. I assume back then that everything was closed on Sundays. What is the law currently?

All but two kinds of businesses are now free to be open 7 days a week if they choose.

Car dealers and liquor stores.

The Texas Automobile Dealers Association lobbied hard to get themselve excluded from that freedom. They WANTED to be required to be closed at least one day on a weekend. They said not all dealers would be able to be open 7 days a week if it were allowed, and would, therefore, be at a competitive disadvantage against those that could.

So, you can't buy hard liquor or a car on Sunday, which has come to be the default closing day for most dealers. Every now and then though, on very rare occasions, a dealer will advertise that he will be closed on Saturday so car-buyers can come see him on Sunday.

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Was that the dealership that was in the Hogg Palace? Also, if you met there on a Sunday, were they open? I remember when the blue laws changed (1980's) and you could be open Saturday or Sunday, but not both. I assume back then that everything was closed on Sundays. What is the law currently?

Still in effect rsb.

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All but two kinds of businesses are now free to be open 7 days a week if they choose.

Car dealers and liquor stores.

The Texas Automobile Dealers Association lobbied hard to get themselve excluded from that freedom. They WANTED to be required to be closed at least one day on a weekend. They said not all dealers would be able to be open 7 days a week if it were allowed, and would, therefore, be at a competitive disadvantage against those that could.

So, you can't buy hard liquor or a car on Sunday, which has come to be the default closing day for most dealers. Every now and then though, on very rare occasions, a dealer will advertise that he will be closed on Saturday so car-buyers can come see him on Sunday.

I always thought the rationale behind that was to make car shopping less convenient for customers. Most people only have hours to kill hanging around car dealers on weekends. so by only opening one day it lessens the time people have available to shop around. Typical.... <_<

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jakdad did not say whether the car lot was open. I was browsing at Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio on a nice Sunday afternoon about 22 years ago (I believe the law was written to let one shop without being harrassed by the sales force). I saw a tall gentleman with rusty red hair park his brand new Ford Bronco at the locked gate next to my car and step over the gate (they weren't that high). Sure enough it was Mr. McCombs. The Spurs had just signed David Robinson (OMG, has it really been that long?) and I congratulated him on that and the fact that Mr. Robinson had committed to serve out his time in the Navy. As you can see more than 20 years on he (David Robinson) is a man with class. I know various sports fans and former customers of Mr. McCombs may have different opinions of him but on that sunny Sunday in San Antonio I found him to be a classy guy also.

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