Brandon Tomes Subaru moved into its recently completed new facility in August, leaving its prior location on US 75, representatives of the business said.
The specifics
The new facility, located on SH 121 near McKinney ISD Stadium, offers new Subaru vehicles as well as pre-owned vehicles of various makes and models. The dealership also offers automotive services and parts for Subaru vehicles, its website states.
The new Brandon Tomes Subaru dealership is more than double the size of its previous location, spanning over 68,000-square-feet including 40 service bays, according to its website. The facility has space on site for more than 400 vehicles, owner Brandon Tomes said.
The prior location was 17,000-square-foot and included 12 service bays. Tomes said the facility had reached capacity within two years of its 2012 opening.
“The additional space will allow us to give a better experience to our customers,” he said.
The new facility also features:
- Customer waiting areas
- A three-lane service drive
- Six detail bays
- A car wash
- A dog park with play features
- Rooftop solar panels
“The delivery bays offer an experience where we can take time and show the customer the car they purchased and answer any questions out of the rain, out of the 104 degree heat [and] out of the cold,” Tomes said. “We can help customers understand their vehicles better.”
Tomes said the new facility is built to withstand growth in the coming years and has the capacity to facilitate about 400 car sales each month. The dealership also includes space for the corporate staff of Tomes Auto Group.
“We definitely built this planning to continue to grow with McKinney,” he said.
The previous Brandon Tomes Subaru location will be retained by Tomes Auto Group but a use for the site has not yet been chosen, Tomes said.
“We would like to keep an automotive use out of it,” he said.
Quote of note
“We just wanted this place to be a place that people can feel comfortable away from home, whether they're here for service, or looking to buy a new or pre-owned vehicle,” Tomes said. “We want it to be a place that everybody feels welcome when they walk in the door.”
The background
Bob Tomes, Brandon Tomes’ father, opened a Ford dealership on US 75 in McKinney in 1983. When it opened, the dealership had 14 employees.
Tomes was raised in McKinney and attended McKinney High School. During high school, he worked at his father’s dealership in various roles including washing cars and as a porter. Tomes said his parents were frequently involved in the community when he was growing up.
“They just really wanted to get their name out there and their brand out there, that they were here to help and be a part of McKinney,“ he said.
Tomes returned to join the family business after graduating from Southern Methodist University in 2007. Brandon Tomes Subaru opened in 2011 inside of the Bob Tomes Ford dealership before moving to its first independent location in 2012.
“We built it to one day hopefully sell 60 new and 30 used [cars], that was our goal,” Tomes said. “Little did we know how much growth McKinney would continue to have, and how much growth Subaru started to have all kind of at the same time.”
When looking for land to develop a larger facility for the business, Tomes said he knew he wanted the dealership to remain in McKinney.
“My parents live here, they made their life here,” he said. “I was born and raised here. My wife's been here since middle school. Our children go to the public schools here. McKinney is part of who we are.”
Other Tomes Auto Group dealerships in McKinney include Bob Tomes Ford and Brandon Tomes Volkswagen, both located on South Central Expressway.
One more thing
The new dealership features a Love Promise Food Pantry, an initiative that began at the prior Brandon Tomes Subaru location in 2017. The food pantry offers nonperishable food items for community members in need 24/7, and also accepts donations.
The organization opted to leave the existing food pantry at the previous location and install another at the new location, and both are in operation. Tomes Auto Group also has food pantry locations at its Brandon Tomes Volkswagen dealership and the Tomes Auto Group parts warehouse, Tomes said.
“We have customers that will come in for a lube, oil [and] filter change ... and we'll watch them fill [the food pantry],” Tomes said. “It's really cool that it's a community effort.”
The organization also aims to give back to the community in other ways, Tomes said, including donating to local charities like ManeGait or sponsoring community events like Oktoberfest and the MISD New Hire Welcome Breakfast.
- Relocated in August
- 4660 SH 121, McKinney
- www.brandontomessubaru.com
