Longtime Port Orchard car dealership with deep community ties closes

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 29, 2026

After more than five decades as a fixture in Port Orchard, Dick Vlist Motors has officially closed its doors.

The longtime dealership ceased operations March 31, marking the end of a family-run business that has been as much a part of the community as the waterfront it sits beside.

For president Van Vlist, the decision wasn’t driven by financial hardship or a sudden downturn. Instead, it came down to timing and the reality of a changing industry.

“I’ve been in this business for 46 years. I’m 70 years old now, and it’s time to kind of sit back and relax,” Van said. “The business climate has changed considerably.”

Van has served as president of the dealership for the past two decades, carrying forward the family business his father, Dick Vlist, started. Dick died in 2023 at the age of 97.

The dealership’s roots stretch back to the 1940s, when founder Dick began his career as an apprentice mechanic in Bremerton. After serving in World War II and the Korean War, he worked his way through the automotive world before eventually becoming a partner in a dealership that would later become his own.

By 1968, the Vlist family had taken full ownership of the business. The dealership moved locations a handful of times over the decades, but since July 2000, it operated out of the Bay Street location.

The business stayed small and personal. Dick and his two brothers, Vic and Vaughn, made up the company that employed no more than 10 workers at a time.

Even after Dick’s passing two and a half years ago, his widow, Shirley Vlist, now 90, continued to work as the company’s bookkeeper, coming into the office five days a week. Kitsap News Group reached out to Shirley for comment, but she declined.

Through the years, the dealership specialized in selling used cars no more than three years old.

“We were very particular about what we would stock,” Van said. “That’s the reason we have the reputation that we do.”

That reputation translated into steady business. Even in its final years, Dick Vlist Motors averaged around 30 to 35 car sales per month.

“We had third-generation clientele,” Van said. “I was selling cars to the grandkids of people I sold to back in the 80s.”

Customers often came not just for the vehicles, but for the experience. Buyers worked directly with Van or his other family members from start to finish, avoiding the multi-step sales process people may find elsewhere.

“The comment we got numerous times was, ‘This was such a pleasant experience,’” Vlist said. “People would say they were walking out with a smile on their face, and it didn’t take six hours to buy a car.”

But the impact of Dick Vlist Motors extends well beyond car sales.

The Vlist family has long been deeply embedded in the South Kitsap community, supporting local organizations and events for decades. In the early 1980s, the family helped start “The Cruz,” an annual waterfront car show event that has since grown into one of Kitsap County’s largest one-day festivals.

They’ve also been involved in organizations such as the Navy League, Kiwanis, and the Elks.

For Van, that connection to the community has been one of the most meaningful parts of the job.

“Port Orchard and the South Kitsap community as a whole has been very supportive of my entire family,” he said. “We’ve always liked to give back to the community that supported us.”

Even in retirement, Van says he plans to remain a resource to the community.

“I tell them, you know how to get in touch with me,” he said. “If I can help or even just give advice, I’m more than happy to do so.”

Even after sales stopped last month, the dealership itself didn’t immediately go quiet. In recent weeks, the showroom has been gradually cleared out, not of cars for sale, but of decades’ worth of collected automobilia and antique vehicles gathered by the Vlist family over the years.

As for what comes next, the dealership property won’t sit empty for long. Van plans to lease the building with hopes of finding a tenant who shares his philosophy.

“I’d like to see whoever comes in here have the same type of rapport with the public that my family enjoys,” he said.

Van expects the space to be ready for lease within 45 to 60 days.

Nathan Hyun is a freelance reporter for Kitsap News Group.