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From apprentice to authorized representative: Pasquale Calabrese is happy to be part of the traditional car dealership. © Judith Dietermann
The Leiss car dealership has been firmly rooted in the district for 75 years. It’s a little tighter, but that’s no reason for Pasquale Calabrese to let Rödelheim down.
Frankfurt – Anyone who walks through the narrow Alt-Rödelheim street, over the cobblestones and past the Golden Lion, probably doesn’t expect that there is a car dealership at the end of the street. Right next to the Nidda, within sight of the Brentano and Solmsparks. Nowadays, a car dealership is more likely to be associated with a spacious parking lot and a glass hall in which the latest vehicle models are exhibited. Things are different at the Leiss car dealership. Everything is a little tighter and more compact.
But that absolutely fits the character. The family charm is one of the hallmarks of the house. For 75 years now. Adolf Leiss founded the car dealership on October 1, 1948, and it was located on Rödelheimer Landstrasse for five years before moving to its current location in Alt-Rödelheim. Where the car dealership has become an integral part of the district.
Optimal connection: Autohaus Leiss has been in Alt-Rödelheim for 75 years
“Even if the location may seem a bit unusual at first glance, we benefit from incredibly good transport connections here,” says Pasquale Calabrese, citing a decisive advantage over large car dealerships in industrial areas. What customers particularly benefit from is that they rarely need a rental car and can get to the house by bus and train. Or just walk. Because many are Rödelheimers. Regular customers, often already in the second and third generation.
The car dealership’s success story began in the fall of 1948 as an independent car repair shop on Rödelheimer Landstrasse, where the Schönhof district is currently being built and where numerous companies were once located. The owner of the workshop was Adolf Leiss, and he received support from his wife Greta and daughter Eva. Five years later, in 1953, the company moved to its current location in Alt-Rödelheim. On the property where the old Rödelheim town hall once stood. A three-story building with a clock tower on the roof.
The area became a parking lot, and the new workshop hall was built on the neighboring area. In which, among other things, the legendary VW Beetle and Bulli were repaired. In 1973, Adolf Leiss handed over management to his daughter Eva and her husband Heinz Windeck, and Autohaus Leiss GmbH & Co. KG was created. In 1992, the third generation finally took over the helm of the family business: grandson Klaus Weineck and his wife Susanne. He expanded the range to include the Skoda brand.
Residential building and extension: The Leiss car dealership was expanded in 2000
In 2000, the large parking area finally had to make way for a residential building; the sales rooms were housed on the ground floor. In addition, the workshop was expanded to include an extension, which is now used as a warehouse and for selling accessories. “Despite the relatively small area, the car dealership has grown steadily. But always carefully,” said Calabrese. Eight years ago, the now 28-year-old began his training as an automobile salesman there. He has always been interested in cars. He tried to follow in his parents’ footsteps – they are restaurateurs. “But that’s not mine,” he says.
That’s how he ended up at the Leiss car dealership. And stayed. He works in the repair department and became a service manager, now he is an authorized signatory and partner. And thus the designated successor to the current managing director Arturo Rinaldi, who took over the car dealership in February 2017. Calabrese studied with him. He says he couldn’t have imagined a better teacher. Familiar, direct and personal – these are the words he uses to describe the car dealership. He knows the regular customers by name and there is often time for a personal conversation.
We are prepared for the future. Especially for e-mobility. There is a charging station and a wallbox. The employees were also trained accordingly. Leaving the location in Alt-Rödelheim, the area to which the Leiss car dealership is connected, is therefore currently not an option. Even if the capacities are exhausted. “We are aware of our importance for the district. Therefore, a second location would be more of an option,” says Calabrese, assuring that Rödelheim and its customers will remain loyal. (Judith Dietermann)
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