CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire's oldest Harley-Davidson dealership will close at the end of the month.
Heritage Harley-Davidson of Concord on Manchester Street has been sold to Paul Veracka, who owns a number of dealerships including Manchester Harley-Davidson and others in the eastern part of the United States.
Andy Segalini, the president of the dealership, made the announcement official Wednesday after many weeks of rumors and speculation in the capital region biker community about a possible sale and concerns about the state of the dealership nearly a year after long-time owner Eileen Sleeper, a Concord business leader, died.
On the dealership's Facebook feed, Segalini said, while disappointing, after 37 years, it was time to say goodbye.
"Through the many trials of this past year and ongoing changes to consumer retail habits, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has a strategic initiative to continuously optimize and evolve the dealer network, with the goal of providing the highest quality service to all members of the H-D community," he wrote. "Although the consolidation of Heritage H-D remains in-line with the aims of this initiative, we recognize the concerns of loyal customers. It has been an absolute honor to serve the New Hampshire customer base and to have been a part of the Concord community. Our previous customers and new ones will receive the same high quality of service at any and all of the additional Harley-Davidson dealerships in New Hampshire or across the United States."
Segalini said Manchester Harley-Davidson had offered to hire "many" of the Concord employees to work at its dealership. Both the Manchester and Laconia dealerships had also committed to expanding winter storage to assist Concord and capital region customers. During the next week, service employees will be working to finish their jobs and any unfinished repairs would be made in Manchester.
Sleeper, who was 54 when she died, took over the dealership from her father in 1999 when he died. She earned her business degree while working at the family's construction equipment company, E.W. Sleeper Company. Sleeper was a fixture and at Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce and other city events, and hosted grill fundraisers at the dealership for charities.
Staffers from Manchester Harley-Davidson did not return an email seeking comment about the sale Monday.
Rumors about the closure and sale prompted consternation with both current employees and customers pointing to the need to have a Concord franchise which included a #SaveHeritageHD hashtag effort on social media.
The dealership's property at 142 Manchester St. is currently assessed at $3.75 million after the company petitioned the city in March for a property tax abatement. Originally, the company requested a drop from more than $3.8 million to $3.3 million. The drop to $3.75 million saved the company $1,761.25.
Manchester Harley-Davidson was purchased in January by High Octane H-D out of Billerica, Massachusetts, a company owned by Paul Veracka, whose family, at one time, owned one of the largest dealership groups in the world.
Veracka, according to posts online, split the company with his brother, Michael Veracka in October 2019. High Octane also recently acquired Alligator Alley H-D in Sunrise, Florida, and also owns Palm Beach Harley-Davidson in West Palm Beach, FL; Rockstar Harley-Davidson in Fort Myers, FL; and Motown Harley-Davidson in Taylor, Michigan. Michael Veracka owns Avalanche Harley-Davidson in Golden, Colorado; Rawhide Harley-Davidson in Olathe, Kansas; Riverside Harley-Davidson in Riverside, California; Huntington Beach Harley-Davidson in Westminster, California; Jet City Harley-Davidson in Renton, Washington; and Desert Wind Harley-Davidson, Mesa, Arizona.
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Heritage Harley-Davidson Of Concord Sold, Will Close Sept. 30 - Concord, NH Patch
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