Craig Fondren of Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars has loved classic cars since he was 13 years old.
What started as a simple question to his dad awakened a passion he never let go of. “We had an old broken-down Lincoln in our backyard, so I asked my dad about fixing it. He said if you pull the starter off, I’ll get it rebuilt, and you can put it back on. That started my love for classic cars. That Lincoln was my very first car, and I still have that car.” Fondren’s love for classic cars and his son Mason’s love for music and guitars has evolved into Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars.
Around a year ago, Fondren and his wife and children started Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars as a new division of one of their companies, Elite Auto Dealership. They purchased a property in Minden, and the dream began growing from there. Fondren explains, “The building we bought used to be an outdoor store that also sold guns, so there was already a big area set up that could hold guitars.
Mason started putting guitars in that area, so we decided to call the location Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars. We never realized how well classic cars and guitars would go together.” As the business took off, they moved Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars to their existing location at 2915 Youree Dr and shifted Elite Auto, across their large lot to the south building.
Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars specializes in everything associated with classic cars and guitars.
They offer a full-service upholstery shop, body shop, and hot rod garage. Donnie Opperman, their guitar tech, and Mason, work diligently to handle all guitar needs for every customer. There is even a jam room where musicians can try out different guitars before they buy. Being that the business is family owned, whenever a customer is buying or selling a car or guitar, they will always deal with at least one of the owners. They employ about 15 people. Fondren and his wife, Ashley, are there daily, and his oldest daughter, Ciara, is at the front desk handling the office affairs. Says Fondren, “We have a relationship with every one of our customers. We talk a lot with them, and we get to know their lives and their stories. It gives customers a totally different sense because of the personalization.”
They are currently working on bringing back their Cruise Nights. A few years ago, Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars had mini car shows every third Saturday night. This time, they’re building a stage on their south patio to bring live music to Cruise Nights. The event has brought together some 200-300 people in past years. Fondren’s has every reason to be optimistic about what’s to come. Fondrens exclaims, “This is my passion. This is what I love to do. This is what keeps me going,
