Putting music and classic cars together

When two or more rivers come together in a location, it’s called a confluence, and that’s what we have on Youree Drive in Shreveport, just north of the East Kings Highway intersection. This confluence is not of rivers, but of business models, and since 2015, Craig Fondren and his family and crew have turned this location into a destination for many ArkLaTexans.

Housed in a location boasting 60,000 square feet and sitting on eight acres, to many, it was the old Powell Buick dealership lot. It still retains vestiges of its original purpose, but Fondren and company have added new dimensions to the mix, dubbing it Classic Cars & Guitars.

“I’ve been building cars since I was 13,” Fondren said. “I’ve never sold a car that I’ve owned.”

Craig and Ashley keep things running smoothly at their Youree Drive store.

That first car was a hand-me-down Lincoln that made the rounds from Fondren’s grandmother to his mother, then his father, and finally to him. He and his brother used the ’79 Mark V to get back and forth to the ballpark in Sibley, La., where they lived. But one day, the starter went out.

“My dad said, you take that starter off, I’ll get it rebuilt, and you put it back on. I said, deal. And that’s the first thing I ever turned a wrench on. I was hooked on it from that point on. It’s the only reason I do all this. It hooked me.”

And that starter now hangs on the wall of the mechanic’s shop at Classic Cars & Guitars.

Initially, Fondren considered starting the businesses in Minden, where he had a shop in an old outdoor store. His son, Mason, was 10 or 11 years old at the time and would hang his collection of guitars on the old gun rack in the store because he had already started buying and selling guitars to earn money.

“I said, that’s pretty cool,” Fondren recalled. “I’ll get you some guitar hangers, and you can hang your guitars for sale right there. That’s how we came up with Classic Cars & Guitars.”

Mason had ordered some relatively cheap guitars online when his dad stepped up with some sound advice for any entrepreneur. “I said, Mason, don’t order any more guitars. If you’re going to collect something, learn all you can learn about it, and then collect good stuff. He took that so to heart. He read books, studied buying and selling. When he was 11, he was already buying, selling and making good money.”

Mason is also a self-taught guitarist and drummer and can be seen at his family’s place as well as other venues around town jamming with his band. When the idea first arose to host their own jam at the family store, what began as a simple stage and some big-box store amplifiers turned into another confluence.

“Really, the stage took on its own thing. Donny Opperman is our guitar tech. He was the guitar tech for Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joe Bonamassa, and he built Stevie Ray Vaughan’s first guitar for him.

“We started out with a small stage. I knew my property crew could frame it out. We started talking to Donny about PA stuff. I’m thinking I’m going down to Best Buy and buy some stereo and throw it up on stage. Donny’s like, ‘Nah, we’re not doing that.’

“We bought all new RCF PA system, laser lights, all of it. I really started the stage with no intention of ever having concerts here.”

Guitar collector and musician, son Mason Fondren is part of the family business.

Once a month, the family hosts a cruise night and jam session. The parking lot will be filled with classic cars, and the jam is for amateurs. Fondren’s books a house band that night, rotating between local bands, and anyone who wants to play with them signs up on a sign-up sheet.

“Everybody comes up here and hangs out,” Fondren explained. “We have food trucks, dessert trucks, and sometimes things like snow cones. We’ve got some jump houses for kids. All of it’s free.

Abigail Fondren is prinpical sales person and spearheads events.

“The music, classic cars and guitars, all that went together by accident, but it crosses over more than you would think. So many people are into music and classic cars, it always goes together.”

Besides Craig, the head wrench turner, and Mason, the Ax Master and guitar salesman, Ashley, Craig’s wife, is the bookkeeper and title queen. Abigail is the principal classic car salesperson; she handles the service writing and coordinates all the venue’s events. Her dad describes her as a gearhead, too, who’s been “working in the shop since she was this tall.”

Each of his department heads is a gem in their own right, according to Fondren, who uses adjectives like “amazing” and “phenomenal” to describe them.

With all that talent under one roof, it’s not hard to imagine why the place has become its own confluence.

“There are places where you go to look at classic cars. There are places where you go to look at guitars. There are places where you go to listen to music. But you can do it all here.”

Fondren’s Classic Cars & Guitars 318 579-0750 www.fondrens.com

Earlier Classics: Sweet Dreams Louisiana

There’s a classic car location in Shreveport that quietly made its appearance a couple of years ago and is making a name for itself among the local gearheads. This one is downtown across the street from the Shreveport Police Department. It’s called Street Dreams Louisiana, and according to Manager Dillon Breithaupt, they specialize in classic and vintage cars, typically American-made.

“Everything from the Model A or Model T, even, to ’04, ’08 Mustangs,” Breithaupt said. “We don’t build the cars; we buy them and sell them.”

“We also sell automobilia or memorabilia. Restored gas pumps, original gas pumps. We sell vintage signs, dealership signs. We have Coke, Pepsi, Sinclair, Texaco, all that sort of stuff.” The Shreveport store is one of two that the company operates. The other is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Hill Country. The recent catastrophic flooding in the area spared that location, however. Asked about how close they came to the devastation, Breithaupt said it was “just right next to us. It’s about 12 or 15 minutes away.

Street Dreams is a Vintage Air dealer and frequently installs AC components. They can also convert old systems to R134. If you’re working on a project car, they might be able to point you in the right direction for finding those difficult-to-locate parts. They are also a presence at the local World of Wheels. “We usually do four cars or so at World of Wheels. We’ll also take gas pumps and motorcycles,” he said, for attendees to explore.

You can also go online and check the local inventory, as well as the selection in Fredericksburg, by searching https://www.streetdreamstexas.com. The stores are at 7914 S. State Highway 16, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 and 1229 Texas Ave. in Shreveport. Phone numbers are (830) 997-1950 in Texas and (318) 210-0982 in Shreveport. The Shreveport store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Internet connections are info@streetdreamstexas.com and contact@streetdreams-la.com.