First Fridays are back in downtown Mount Vernon as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, and one of the new features is a car show sponsored by A-Plus Auto Brokers of Mount Vernon.
“We’ve have old-fashioned cars to modern cars, motorcycles, trucks,” A-Plus General Manager Jacob Green told the Mount Vernon News. “It’s really open to any kind of vehicle.”
The show will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month through September on North Main between the square and Chestnut Street.
“We’re all car guys anyway, and we all have cars that we take to car shows anyway,” Green said. “We thought it would be pretty cool to go hang out there after work.”
Green has a 1984 Ford Mustang t-top, hatchback GT-350 that he will display at the show.
“I found it in a barn,” he said. “I wanted to keep it the way it was and not do anything to it.”
Another A-Plus employee has a 1997 Eagle Talon.
“He puts a lot of time and effort into it,” Green said. “He drag races. Another guy has an '05 Mustang GT that he's done a lot of motor work to.”
There will also be a 1963 Cadillac that is under renovation.
“All new paint, interior, engine,” Green said. “It’s not show-ready yet. We’ve got another year or two to get it finished.”
First Fridays are a good time for car guys to catch up.
“It was good to see everybody out mingling and talking again,” Green said. “Everybody rubbing shoulders, checking out cars, talking about what everybody did to our cars over the last year. Nobody’s seen anybody.”
It’s been a strange year for the used-car business just as it has for many other businesses, Green said. Shortages of new cars have put a strain on the used-car market as well, he said.
“It’s very hard to find inventory,” he said.
Green travels around the country looking for cars to keep the lot filled.
Although prices are also up, A-Plus makes sure the cars it sells are in good shape under the hood.
“We own a service garage next door, so we make sure all our cars are top-notch mechanically so if someone is paying a little bit more for it they won’t have up-front, out-of-pocket expenses,” Green said.
