North Aurora, Naperville Saturn dealerships combine

A Saturn dealership in North Aurora will be combined with one in Naperville in a move that's indicative of the cost-saving measures becoming prevalent in the current economy.

George Honiotes, president of Saturn of North Aurora and Saturn of Naperville, said 14 of the almost 60 employees had to be laid off with the closure. Some were moved to the Naperville location.

"In order to remain financially viable, it made sense for us to make this change," he said on Saturday, the last day for North Aurora Saturn. Honiotes hopes to reopen the North Aurora site if conditions improve.

"We're fortunate that Saturn has a market area approach," he said. "We had two stores servicing the market area, and we're just looking to service it out of one location instead of two."

The stores are 13 miles apart, with the Naperville location at Ogden and Aurora Avenues and the North Aurora location at Orchard Road and I-88.

Honiotes said he sent out a letter to customers to let them know of the consolidation.

"I feel very bad about the inconvenience it will cause for some customers," he said. "Certainly I feel terrible for having to lay off anybody, but this puts us in a position that we'll be here for the long-term."

He said the business' fortunes have mirrored the rest of the economy; the company was viable until September.

"The bottom sort of fell out in October," he said. "We thought, 'Well it can't get any worse than that,' except it did."

The car industry, especially, has been affected and has been seeking bailouts from the federal government.

Honiotes still controls the building in North Aurora, and he hopes that he can reopen it soon.

"The only good news is that I feel fortunate that we're still in business," he said.

The North Aurora location has been open since 1996, and the Naperville store has been open since 1992.