SPRINGFIELD — Armani Automotive Group employees are spending today prepping for their open house, setting up a DJ booth, breaking out a canopy, and readying some refreshments.
The open house at 3377 Main St. is being held Aug. 1 from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m., with a ribbon cutting ceremony held at 3 p.m.
“It’s just really exciting anytime there’s a new business that opens up on Main Street, and it just helps to build the community,” said John Garbett, membership director at the Springfield Chamber.
Previously Texas Motors, the company had been getting a lot of calls from Texans. To clear up the confusion, Raymund Armani, the business owner, changed the name, according to Mark Molina, the general manager.
The company rebranded about seven months ago, but Molina said he wanted to be sure that the company would be around for the community long-term before publicly announcing it.
Since rebranding, Armani Automotive has made $2 million in profits and donated roughly $20,000, Molina said.
They’ve donated to many local causes including the Springfield High School Mariachi del Sol and the Springfield Christmas Parade, and the open house will double as a fundraiser. For every test drive from 1:30- 2:30, p.m. $25 will be donated to Varga Medical Art.
Molina works hard to provide quality products for customers. “There’s a lot of dealers that specialize in lower-end quality cars. That’s not us,” he said. He explained that at auction, where vehicles have a mechanical rating between one and five, Armani Automotive only purchases vehicles that rate 3.7 or higher.
The lot is open seven days a week and anyone is welcome. And to make test drives more comfortable, customers are welcome to take the drive by themselves, according to Courtney Kemry, assistant manager.
Making customers feel comfortable and valued is Molina’s No. 1 goal.
“When I see the people that we sell vehicles to, I’m gonna see them at Winco, Albertsons, Safeway, the movie theater, the shopping mall, local parks,” Molina said. “And I need to know that I have done my best in selling the safest possible vehicle.”
