Its hard to tell where Aaron Van Pykstra the car guy stops and Aaron Van Pykstra the car salesman starts.
See that 1969 GTO Judge Ram Air IV in the Autoform sales room? He loves telling you all about it. The 2000 Aston Martin Vantage DB7? What would you like to know about its supercharged straight-6 engine? Theres also the 2007 Rolls Royce Phantom with its retractable Spirit of Ecstasy?
Sure, hed love to sell you one of the cars at Autoform, which he opened several months ago with his partner Mike Wood, but he also simply enjoys talking about what makes them special and fun to drive.
The same can be said about many of the people who drop by the new business on Clark Drive. They are, in general, car guys, who know the difference between the 1969 GTO with the ignition on the steering column and the 1968 GTO which still had the ignition on the dashboard. Sometimes theyre in the mood to buy; sometimes theyre just looking to see whats new in the showroom. Autoform is one of those places where no detail is too small to squeeze into a conversation.
Were a boutique auto dealership, says Van Pykstra. Its like a woman buying clothing you want to see the cars, sit in them, smell them.
Two months ago, Autoform was in the Burrard Street neighbourhood shared by the likes of Lexus, Ferrari and Bentley. Its a go-to destination for luxury cars. Audi is building a new dealership at Burrard and W. 2nd and Woods Auto One dealership was at W. 3rd and Burrard before he and Van Pykstra, who also owns Vancouver Cigar Store, decided to team up as Autoform.
But the neighbourhood also has a rich pricetag when it comes to rent. Autoform decided to make the move to the western edge of East Vancouver, where rents are not only cheaper but theres also an existing car culture. Its in this neighbourhood that you can get a car serviced or detailed. MCL Motor Cars is building a huge Porsche centre a few blocks away, with Mercedes doing the same; Lexus, Ford and GM dealerships are already nearby. And now that Autoform has moved in, two other pre-owned car dealerships are scoping out the street.
This ebb and flow of retail traffic is part of Vancouvers ongoing evolution. The city seems to be constantly morphing itself. Commercial Drive became popular as a less expensive, funky version of Kitsilano many newcomers are called Kitsilano transplants but now its becoming so popular that rents are increasing. Clark Drive is positioned to take some of the spillover and, in doing so, enhance East Vans appeal.
All of our friends in the West Side started in the East Side and now want to be back, Van Pykstra smiles. Its really interesting to see whats happening in the neighbourhood.
