The original Goodwill Motor Company Building, currently the location of 3Oak and Platt Home, was constructed in June 1945 by business partners W.C. Burrell, V.H. Fricks, and W.L. Baughn. The partners had previously operated under the name the Burrell Motor Company at a different location beginning in 1942. With the shift to the newly constructed building, the partners decided to rename themselves as Goodwill Motor Company.  

The building was lauded as “one of the largest and most complete automotive establishments” in the area at 8,400 square feet. They boasted their service department, display room, and filling station on South Broad Street, “opposite Brevard High School building” when the school was located at the site of the present-day library. Their 24-hour emergency services were an added benefit for their customers.  

The parts department entrance was at the front, along with the main office and restrooms. Other bays were enterable from the rear of the building and provided alignment, brakes, clutch, transmission, engine repair, as well as body and fender repair and welding.  

In 1949 one of the partners, Vernon Fricks, built a second building adjoining the original construction. It was entitled Fricks Buick and is the current location of the Haen Gallery. This modern building was two stories tall and housed a set of apartments on the second floor. Fricks Buick operated for only three years until 1952 when it merged with the Goodwill Motor Company. The entire complex became an automotive service, repair, and sales business and continued until 1985.  

At this time Myers Body Shop co-occupied the far-left end of the building and operated there until 2019. In the early 1990s, Goodwill Motor Company sales expanded to a neighboring lot which only sold cars, discontinuing the repair services portion of the business in lieu of warranty services. It appears that both businesses shared the space for several years, with Goodwill Motor Company eventually moving to a different location in 1996.  

In 1996, Jack Eubanks Auction House occupied the former Fricks/Goodwill Motor Company space on the far right of the complex until at least 2013, though it is unclear how long after that the business may have operated in the space. The complex had a major shift in use in 2020 when the Haen Gallery moved from their Lumberyard Arts District location to the former Fricks/Goodwill Motor Company space. The following year in 2021, both 3Oak furniture and Platt Home took up the remaining spaces. All three operate as a highlight of the “South of Main” businesses presently. 

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.