LYNNWOOD — Nostalgia is the word at Kompact Kar Korner.
Classics cars bring people back to the high school days, leaving on a honeymoon and other life events linked to a certain car. It’s that experience that Kompact Kar Korner brings to their customers, said Louis Lamb, co-owner.
“Classic cars are addictive. There is a culture around them,” said Lamb. “In the 1950s, success was expressed with cars. Young teens aspired to a certain car, which they couldn’t afford of course, but the aspiration remained.”
Kompact Kar Korner has 150 diverse cars in inventory, each with their own story. There are Camaros, Chevelles and Mustangs. Street rods, classics and specialties. A black and red ’38 Dodge and a Model A sit alongside a black ’34 roadster with overdrive and a ’59 Corvette with classic lines, trim and chrome only from a day gone by. The showroom gives visitors a quick trip through American auto history.
“Hardly anyone can keep their high school sweetheart,” said Lamb. “But you can always keep that car.”
One thing is for certain, those looking for a classic vehicle are very exact with their requirements, said Kevin Melby, co-owner. “They will be very specific even down to the color. If someone wants a black ’74 Malibu, that is what they want.”
“We have a ’59 (Corvette) that is nicer now than it ever was new,” said Lamb. “The paint is better, the quality of workmanship is better.” He pointed out a yellow and white ’55 Chevy. “In the General Motors pecking order it was at the bottom of the barrel (behind the Buick and Olds lines). “As a production line vehicle many of these cars were seen as a disposable item. Now they are cherished.”
All the classics come to Kompact Kar Korner fully restored. “Timewise we can’t afford to rebuild them,” said Lamb. “We would have to invest more than we could possibly sell them for.”
Very few people take on a restoration project themselves. Most completed projects are traded in so another can begin, according to Lamb.
His interest is classic cars started as a youngster. “My dad was in the Navy and restored cars for extra income,” said Lamb. He learned the intricacies of the classic car business on the job. Lamb’s roommate started the business in 1971 across the street from its current location. Lamb took over Kompact Kar Korner in 1992 along with a couple of partners and moved to the current 3.5 acre lot in 1998.
While the economy has taken a bit of a bite out of Kompact Kar Korner’s business, the silver lining is that inventory is more available than ever. “Cars that weren’t available before are now for sale,” Lamb says.
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