Fenton Motors has been part of the Litchfield business scene for nearly seven decades, but that changed Friday when owner Chuck Fenton announced he had sold the dealership to John Davis, owner of Princeton Auto Center in Princeton, Minn.

Fenton said Tuesday morning the sale was the result of conversations with Davis that took place during the past several months. The third-generation owner admitted the sale was a bittersweet transaction.

"It's been tough; I don't know how else to put it," Fenton said. "The hardest thing for me is, I'm the guy that's got to turn the lights off on the legacy and say it's no longer Fenton Motors."

Still, Fenton said, the sale will create a stronger dealership with more to offer customers. And it will still include the Fenton touch, as he will stay on as general manager of the dealership, which now will be known at Davis Motor Sales.

"It's sad, but it's a new day," Fenton said. "I hope all our customers and friends stay with us. I don't think things are going to change a whole lot other than we're going to have three times the inventory we've had in the past. We're going to give Litchfield a better dealership."

Chuck Fenton's grandfather, Hugh Fenton, started Fenton Motors in February 1939. His father, Dick, continued the Fenton tradition, and Chuck became the third generation of family ownership.

Read more about this story in the June 5 edition of the Independent Review.