About Vespa Shelbyville

Our dealership was founded by my grandfather, Chester, and his brother William in 1918. The two of them opened a bike shop by buying used parts and assembling bikes from junk. Chester was only 17 years old. By 1925 they acquired the Nash auto franchise. The brothers were successful enough that Buick motor division came down to find out how a couple of young guys were outselling them in Shelbyville. Soon after that, they dropped the Nash franchise in favor of Buick in 1928. Chester and William then added Pontiac, Cadillac and GMC trucks around 1931. William died in 1933 from a freak accident while getting his tonsils removed. Chester kept the business going through the Depression by trading property notes that people could no longer afford for automobiles. This, in turn, helped the whole community. Sandman Brothers then added the appliance business from the 30's thru the late 50's. They sold products from Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Philco radios, Motorola, and Goodyear tires, among many other things. My father, Larry Sandman, came into the picture after college in 1961. He is currently the president, and grandfather Chester worked at "the store" until he was over 90 years old. We acquired the Chrysler franchise in 1982 and added Jeep in 1999.

Today, it is Sandman Brothers once again. My two brothers, Brent and Blake, along with myself all work at our store. Thanks for your interest in reading about our history, and be sure to check out all the old photos, and ads on the walls in our store.

Sincerely yours,

Burke Sandman

Vespa Sales and Service Specialist