BEDFORD – M&E Honda in Bedford has been a family-owned local sports vehicle store for the last 52 years. Begun in 1971, former owner Shirley Evans said she first began the business because “My first husband liked to get our kids toys.” He would bring them home all the time, and she said, “We decided then that we would like to start a motor dealership.”
The dealership is one of a small percentage of Honda dealerships that can claim the Powerhouse status. At today’s event, the dealership’s drawing for a free 2023 Honda Recon ATV came to an end, announcing Donald Robertson as the winner.
Donald came in to look at the 4-wheelers, thinking he might be able to use one, and signed up, not thinking he would win. “I wasn’t expecting it,” he laughed. Donald plans to use the ATV to help him get to and from his home workshop.
When the dealership first began, it was designed by her first husband. “The original building wasn’t nearly as big,” said Shirley “We just kept adding to it.”
The drawing consisted of chances to enter the drawing once a day from last week until 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. Donations of supplies brought for the White River Humane Society tripled a person’s entries, and by the end of the contest, there were nearly 1,750 entries.
The three officials flew into Indiana to present the family business with an award. The award is a small momento to the value of the dealership.
The wealth of donations for the drawing was so heavy that M&E had to manually move them from the vehicle to the White River Humane Society’s van for transportation.
“My dad used to come home with a different toy you could ride all the time,” Shirley’s daughter, Tammy Dillon explained. “It was kind of like hitting the jackpot once that started happening on a regular basis,” Tammy said it was fun to share the toys with kids and friends in the neighborhood.
Tammy Dillon grew up with the business from around the time she was 5 years old, and though she lived for a long time with her husband in Colorado, they eventually moved back to Bedford, where they both fell in love with helping at the dealership.
From 2008 until 2020, Shirley and Tammy worked together, and by 2016 Tammy was becoming more and more involved in the decision-making portion of the business. When COVID-19 rolled around, Tammy insisted her mother stay home, and the staying home eventually turned into retirement.
“To get to work side by side with my mother for so many years is a blessing and something I will never regret,” Tammy said. “I had the great fortune of having my parents mature and build this business, and it’s not lost on me.”
Through her time working with her mother, her experience and knowledge of the business naturally transferred.
Tammy was very pleased with the state of the M&E Honda, and you could see the gratitude and appreciation in her eyes. She clearly loves what she’s doing. As she said, “I look forward to going to work every day.”
M&E Honda’s customers know this, and when you shop or visit the dealership, you might still find Shirley Evans in the area. She said it’s hard to stay away.
M&E Honda is a wonderful, genuine, family-owned business, and the city is lucky to have them as part of our locality.
