There was a time in our local communities when a handshake and trust meant

Vic Oldt

something.  With social media consuming way too many hours of way too many folks, I wanted to share a story about one local merchant, still remembered by a few of us old-timers.

            Over the past century many inventions have helped to better our lives.  One of the more prominent is the automobile.  Not too long ago, at a time when the population of our Valley was less than half of what it is today, we boasted four new car dealerships and several used car businesses.

            During a time when agriculture was on a decline in our Valley, and the hand-made cigar industry was replaced by machines, people started looking elsewhere for jobs.  The explosion of the automobile industry brought a variety of related jobs to nearby communities.  The hard-working people of our rural communities needed a way to get there.

            Vic Oldt didn't start his working career as a car salesman.  As a matter of fact, he was a postmaster in Corning, not too far over the Lehigh County line.  He also operated a general store there and, for three years, operated the Hosensack Hotel.

After starting his own business on Third St. in East Greenville, Oldt built this large, full-service auto dealership in Upper Hanover Township.

            After a stint selling cars at the Jackson Motor Company, in Pennsburg, he opened a Dodge-Plymouth dealership in the rear of the East Greenville Hotel in 1930.  He later moved the dealership to 108 Main St. in Pennsburg, then to its final location on Route 29, just outside of East Greenville, in 1946.

             The number of people who still remember buying a car (or cars) from Vic Oldt surprised me.  What people seem to remember most is his willingness to strike a deal with your word and a handshake.  This speaks volumes of his willingness to trust and the trustworthiness of his customers.

            During the time of the Great Depression in our country, local folks were finding the need to leave town to find a job. On the eve of the Great Depression in 1929, Vic sold $189,000 (about $3 million in today's dollars) in automobiles and parts.

Vic Oldt started his career in automobile sales at the Jackson Motor Company on Main Street in Pennsburg.

Vic won numerous awards over the years from a variety of dealerships.

            About Vic, it was written that "proficiency in the art of salesmanship is an indispensable faculty to any individual engaged in business.  A good salesman displays sincerity and a desire to give his prospects the true worth of the product he advertises, and these appealing qualities soon win for him a very close place with the public and its complete confidence."    

            His relationship with his customers not only made him a special merchant, it also kept him among the top 50 Chrysler dealers in the nation for 30 consecutive years.