Car enthusiasts hang out at the Paddock Auto Vault.

New club caters to car lovers

Dr. Tom Siskron loves cars – and Porsches in particular.

“I’ve loved Porsches since I was 6 years old, when my best friend’s dad brought one home,” Dr. Siskron said. “I bought my first one in 2013. It was a 1970 (model) – the year of my birth. I say she’s my soul mate. It’s a survivor – never been restored, never been wrecked. It has a nice patina (paint work). It’s not brand-new looking. It doesn’t look like it rolled off the showroom floor, but it looks like a well-maintained 53-year-old car.”

It’s that love – Dr. Siskron now has three Porsches – that led him to Los Angeles in 2014, which led to him and his partners opening in Shreveport.

“The Paddock is a place for car enthusiasts to store their prize possessions, whether they be new exotics or classic collectibles, and enjoy the company of other car enthusiasts in a laid-back, lounge-type environment.

Located at 9258 Ellerbe Road, The Paddock features a 72-degree, climate-controlled environment for your car to sit. The facility also has what The Paddock’s website calls “state-of-the-art security.”

“There are a lot of people who have their cars in garages or barns that need more attention than they’re getting.”

But the 4,000-5,000-square-foot property is more than a place to park your car. It’s a place to spend time with other car lovers.

“There’s a very nice lounge area that we built. It’s got a private bar which we are going to have a take-some-leave-some philosophy. We’ve had an LSU watch party. We will have (Formula One) watch parties. We plan to have other gatherings. We plan to have an events center as well. I actually had my wedding there. … We can have office parties or birthday parties.”

But about that visit to California nine years ago …

“I was taking a tour of the Porsche Hot Spots of LA during the national Porsche week. I walked into this building – it was supposed to be a car storage facility – so I was expecting just a garage with cars parked everywhere. We walked in the front door, and there were guys sitting at a private bar, guys playing pool, and they were sitting around reading the paper and talking. It was kind of like a little social club. You walked through the club, looked through these large, glass windows, and you see all these wonderful cars that are maintained in a climate-controlled environment.”

While Dr. Siskron loved what he saw and loved the idea, there was one problem. He lived in Shreveport.

“I didn’t immediately think it would be good for a place like Shreveport. It seems like all the cool things often don’t survive in Shreveport, in my 45-year experience. Big ideas often come and go because the community just doesn’t support them.”

But Dr. Siskron never forgot what he saw, and eventually, the time was right to turn his idea into reality.

“We (partners Dr. Kenneth Sanders and Grayson Bailey) just kept talking about it and thinking about it. Then this property where we are – (the old Waddell’s Gallery of Distinction) – became available. It’s just the perfect place.”

Even if The Paddock doesn’t draw a lot of members, it won’t be a failed investment for the owners.

“Even if it’s just for us alone, to have a place to store our cars and hang out, which in Shreveport may be the case.”

There are two types of memberships available – Storage and Social.

“If you store a car with us – we have three different levels of service – you’re automatically a member of the club. …You are invited to enjoy the benefits of the club on your own, with guests, or at our events. If you don’t have a car to store, or you don’t want to store a car but you enjoy the atmosphere of hanging out with other car enthusiasts, you can join with a social membership. That gives you access to the social club during business hours and to social events. If you’re a member of the club either way, you’re going to get discounts on having it as an events center, which we think is going to become a real portion of the business. We’ve already got several events scheduled, and more inquiries every day.”

To learn more about The Paddock Auto Vault, you may visit www.thepaddockshreveport.com.