What began as a single used-car lot has grown into an automotive destination in Salem, Ohio
A coffee shop, an exotic-car showroom and a digital content studio aren't the first things that come to mind when thinking about an independent used-car dealership. But they're all part of YALCARS Auto Park, a new automotive campus in Salem, Ohio, that takes a decidedly different approach to used-car retail.
Yigit Yalcin is president and CEO of YALCARS, an independent used-vehicle dealership that has operated in Ohio's Mahoning Valley since 2017. What started as a single Youngstown-area lot grew into a multi-location operation selling nearly 1,000 vehicles annually before the company consolidated its retail operations at the new Salem campus.
YALCARS took over the former Donnell Ford Lincoln property at 152 Continental Drive in 2025 and transformed the site into a flagship operation combining used and certified pre-owned vehicles. The company opened the new Auto Park's doors in March 2026. The location combines, service, reconditioning, detailing, indoor delivery bays, EV charging, a customer lounge, a touchless car wash, a digital merchandising studio, an exotic-car showroom and the YALCARS Café. The company invested approximately $8 million in the property, renovations and launch while bringing together its three previous retail locations at the new campus.
Yalcin described the concept as a “complete automotive destination,” reflecting the company's decision to combine its retail, service and digital operations at one location.
YALCARS' growth helps put the size of the new project into perspective, the dealership sold 401 vehicles during the their first year. By early 2025, the dealership was selling nearly 1,000 vehicles annually across three locations and had surpassed $100 million in cumulative vehicle sales. Approximately 65% of YALCARS' sales were completed online, with vehicles shipped to customers in different cities and states.
The company wasn't simply growing its traditional used-car lot business, it was developing a retail model that allowed customers to shop and buy vehicles without being near one of its physical locations. The company's inventory has also extended beyond the typical mix of used cars. YALCARS has sold everything from mainstream brands such as Honda and Toyota to luxury and exotic vehicles.
The new Auto Park consolidates YALCARS' previous retail operations into one larger campus. The former Donnell Ford Lincoln property had been part of Salem's automotive landscape for more than 50 years. YALCARS' decision to take over the property gave the company a substantially larger physical footprint while allowing it to bring its retail operations together.
The company's former Wick Avenue location is now being used for wholesale operations, while the Salem property serves as the customer-facing retail campus. All customer-facing operations, including sales, test drives, deliveries and service, now take place at the Salem Auto Park.
The new facility includes a large showroom as well as service and parts operations, reconditioning, detailing and indoor delivery space. YALCARS added a few unusual elements into the mix, a coffee shop and a exotic-car showroom. The facility also includes EV charging and a touchless car wash. For customers, that creates a dealership experience that extends beyond walking through rows of inventory.
The Coffee Shop
The YALCARS Café is an automotive-themed coffee shop located within the Auto Park and is open to the public. Rather than being simply a customer waiting area, the café was designed as a community-oriented space where people can stop for coffee whether or not they are shopping for a vehicle.
It's an unusual feature for an independent dealership and one of the clearest examples of how YALCARS has approached the physical location differently. The idea also fits with the overall design of the Auto Park. Someone can visit to shop for a vehicle, have a vehicle serviced, look at specialty cars, charge an EV or simply stop for coffee.
The Exotic Side of Used Cars
YALCARS also created a separate showroom for YALCARS Exotics. The showroom is dedicated to luxury, rare and high-performance vehicles, giving the company a specialized space for inventory that doesn't necessarily fit the traditional used-car showroom.
The company has historically sold a broad range of vehicles, from mainstream used cars to luxury and exotic models. The separate showroom gives that specialty business its own identity within the larger campus. It also gives automotive enthusiasts another reason to visit the property.
Building the Digital Dealership
One of the more unusual features of the Auto Park may be the one customers never see: a dedicated digital merchandising studio. YALCARS built the space to create the photos, videos and other digital content used to present its inventory online.
The digital retail operation expands on what the dealership had already developed before opening the Salem campus. YALCARS’ online sales process includes detailed vehicle presentations, virtual walk-arounds, online financing, digital paperwork and vehicle delivery, allowing customers to complete much of the buying process remotely.
The studio brings that work inside the dealership itself. Rather than treating digital merchandising as a separate marketing function, YALCARS has made it part of the infrastructure used to sell its vehicles.
That reflects how the used-car shopping experience has changed. A vehicle increasingly has to make its case online before a customer ever steps onto the lot, with images, video, descriptions, financing options and communication all contributing to the sales process. For YALCARS, the digital version of the dealership is being built alongside the physical one—and the company's significant online sales mix makes that distinction particularly important.
The more vehicle shopping moves online, the less important the physical dealership might appear to be. YALCARS has taken the opposite approach with the Auto Park. The company has invested heavily in a physical location while simultaneously building around digital retail.
The result is a hybrid model. The customer can shop digitally or physically. The dealership can produce digital inventory presentations while maintaining a large showroom. Vehicles can be sold locally or delivered to customers elsewhere.
With the new Auto Park, YALCARS has put everything under one roof—from its used and exotic inventory to service, reconditioning, digital merchandising and the customer-facing café. For a dealership that began with 401 vehicles sold in its first year, the Salem campus marks a pretty significant evolution.
