W. Fred Ferman began business in Tampa in 1895 with the Tampa Cycle and Sporting Goods Company at 908 Franklin St. In an age where bicycles mixed with horse carts on the streets, Ferman sold innovative products like a bicycle delivery cart and claimed it would “carry nearly a quarter of a ton at a speed fully as great as the fastest horse.”

He started his venture into automobiles in 1899 when he built his own car, primarily out of bicycle parts. It went around 10 miles an hour and had to be started by two men pushing on each side. He hoped at the time to go into auto manufacturing but found it impractical. Ever the salesman, he sold typewriters and cameras “Kodaks”, and began delving into national brand car sales in 1902 after building an “automobile stable’ behind his bike shop. He started selling Oldsmobiles like the Oldsmobile Light Touring Car for $950. In 1903, he added a Cadillac dealership to the fold. By 1917 his operation was known as the Ferman Motor Car Company Inc., and by that time was selling Cadillacs, Chevrolets, and Oldsmobiles. The business opened a new modern Oldsmobile showroom at the corner of Florida Ave. and Washington Street in 1948. It was converted to a 2-story parking garage when Ferman moved out, but remnants of the old showroom, including a mosaic tile floor, remain. W.F. Ferman died in 1949.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Ferman’s sons, Fred Ferman Jr. and James L Furman Sr., joined the firm. In 1966, James L “Jim” Ferman Jr. came on board and continued the multigenerational ownership of the company.

In 1961, Ferman Oldsmobile moved to 1307 Grand Central Ave. (now Kennedy Boulevard), establishing a much larger presence. As other car companies began to move to Dale Mabry Hwy. in the 1970s, Ferman stayed put as they realized the value of being so close to downtown Tampa and its thousands of employees. In 1979, they demolished the building and constructed a new brick structure with a large undercover outdoor showroom, a modern indoor showroom, and planters and landscaping for a more substantial visual appeal. In 2006 the dealership moved out, and by 2010, after Tampa General Hospital purchased the property, plans were being considered to build a rehabilitation. It took over a decade to construct and open the 80-bed rehabilitation facility, a joint venture between Tampa General Hospital and Kindred Rehabilitation Services. It now sits where the Ferman Oldsmobile dealership served the public for over 40 years.

The Ferman legacy continues. What started as a bicycle shop 120 years ago has transformed into over a dozen vehicle dealerships, including cars and motorcycles, with hundreds of thousands in annual revenue. Ferman is one of the nation’s oldest continuously running car dealerships.

© 2023. Chip Weiner. Old Tampa Photos