Loss of local dealer

[Hal Taylor <taylor@domain.elided>]

You know, I really didn't realize how much I appreciated having a nearby
Alfa dealer as a parts source.  Sure, I didn't go to them for
_everything_, but it was always reassuring to know that if worst came to
worst, I could probably get just about anything I needed through
official channels.  And all just a few miles from my home.

Well, no more.  Beverly Hills Alfa (not nearly as glamorous, exotic or
pretensions as it sounds) recently disappeared without a trace.  I went
down the Friday before labor day, and they were closed.  I figured they
were probably taking an extra-long weekend, and so went back today (I
need some stuff!).  This time, all hope is gone: the big Alfa logo has
been painted over, and there's absolutely nothing inside.  Damn.

I feel... disenfranchised, now.  I mean it was one thing to own a marque
that was no longer available new here, but there was still
such...security...in having a convenient, honest-to-goodness Alfa
factory parts connection.  I never expected them to disappear (naive,
obviously), and never would've guessed that their loss would have
affected me so.  It's a strange feeling.

Hal Taylor
'86 spider veloce "Strega" (she feels orphaned, now)
Venice, CA

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