The Vinsetta Garage, the historic neon landmark of Detroit's Woodward Avenue cruising scene and the oldest garage east of the Mississippi, has closed after 91 years in business, a victim of the tough choices facing its owner.
The Vinsetta opened to service Model Ts and other vehicles in 1919, before the road that became Woodward Avenue was even paved. Current owner Jack Marwil, 54, lost his wife to breast cancer in August and decided he'd rather be a lawyer than a garage owner. When none of his employees could buy the business, Marwil chose to liquidate it rather than see someone buy it who didn't understand his customers.
Marwil has made a deal with another local shop to take his clientele. Let's just hope the signage ends up in the hands of someone who appreciates its history rather than hanging in America's leading museum of antiquity, Applebee's. [Royal Oak Daily Tribune]