Forty-three years ago, I didn't know what I was getting into when Bill bought his first Corvette. I remember the car vividly, it was a 1957 black with silver coves and red leather interior. My theory then was, one 'Vette would be all there was, and would surely get the Corvette bug out of his system. This year, I've realized, my theory needs to be amended. Thirty-seven years later, as our business Turner Automotive Corvettes continues to sell its many Corvettes, Bill and I both agree, "the cars have been good to us."
We started the business in our backyard garage in 1972. From there, it has evolved into a piece of history of Corvette buyers and enthusiasts. What was once just "specialty cars" the business is now, all Corvette.
What hasn't changed is Bill's personal connection to each car he buys and sells. And in December, after celebrating our 43d wedding anniversary, we made our routine stop to the building on West Main Street to check on the showroom and cars. Although we weren't in our original '57, I realized our marriage has been one which continues to include a Corvette love affair. And this love affair has been the constant and the continuity of our relationship. We are lovers of both each other and our cars, both aiming to grow and nurture the delicate life in each other and ourselves.
Too, we are like the cars. There are many, yet we are each individual. Each is created by design yet formed by its own life and struggle to survive the tests of time. In my mind, it is here the bonds of our marriage are formed. The union is fashioned of love and of business. Love for our family, friends, employees, customers... but moving forward and evolving with the life and entity that is our business. It is a constant, rippling companionship.
For us, it is both. A life made up of loyalties, interdependencies and shared experiences. A business woven of memories and conflicts; of triumphs and disappointments. Yet, the web of marriage and business isn't something we achieve, it is in the day to day living. And for us it has been about both looking outward yet always working in the same direction.
