A blast from the past: Paulson’s Chevrolet

The old dealership’s bones are looking through history.

By Ray Miller-Still • November 12, 2020 9:00 am
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Not only was the vehicle storage small but the building itself was small,” said Alan Gamblin of the old building that housed Paulson’s Chevrolet, before Gamblin’s father bought the dealership. “You could put three cars on the showroom if you used a floor jack to move them around.” Photo by Ray Miller-Still
Not only was the vehicle storage small but the building itself was small,” said Alan Gamblin of the old building that housed Paulson’s Chevrolet, before Gamblin’s father bought the dealership. “You could put three cars on the showroom if you used a floor jack to move them around.” Photo by Ray Miller-Still

A little piece of Enumclaw’s history is showing itself in downtown.

Peeking through time is Paulson’s Chevrolet, an old dealership that used to reside on the corner of Railroad Street and Griffin Avenue. Until recently, the building was occupied by Plateau Floors To Go, but new renovations have revealed the original brick and mortar.

There appears to be little information left about Paulson’s in Enumclaw’s history books. Leonard Paulson, the owner, was quickly featured in the Courier-Herald when, in July 1969, he announced the sale of Paulson’s to Arth Gamblin the previous month.

“Paulson did not indicate what his future plans include,” the article reads. “‘I’m going to take some time off,’ he said, ‘then make up my mind what I’ll do.’”

The article noted Paulson, who operated in Enumclaw for more than 30 years, sold Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and, obviously, Chevy lines.

Apparently, Paulson himself bought the dealership from Hoffman Chevrolet, which opened in Enumclaw in 1916. It’s unclear when the sale occurred.

Alan Gamblin, the son of Art, mostly remembers the time after his father bought Paulson’s dealership, back when downtown looked completely different than how it does today.

“The Rotary Park is where the used car lot was and the new car lot was on the corner of Myrtle and Railroad where the Enumclaw Day Spa now stands,” Gamblin recalled. “That small corner was fenced and you could put about thirty new cars there. Where the parking lot is for the Goodwill park is where we had customer and service parking.”

Folks may know Goodwill Park as the Goodwill Garden, which is located right in front of the Enumclaw library.

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