The Haron family’s legacy has been celebrated in many ways, including as a tribute Blood Orange IPA made by Tioga-Sequoia Brewing for FresYes Fest in 2019 and as public art Haron in a mural located at Van Ness Avenue and Santa Clara Street. Photo illustration by Cecilia Lopez

New ownership for Haron Motor Sales, a staple of Downtown Fresno since the 1940s, might have been a surprise to many in the business community.

Founded by Charles Haron, Haron Jaguar has remained a constant presence at 2222 Ventura St. As many luxury auto dealerships migrated northward, the Haron family doubled down on Downtown Fresno, unveiling a new building in 2019.

First established as a service facility, Haron began selling cars shortly after opening in 1945. In its nearly 80 years in business, the dealership saw multiple lines pass through its doors. In 1981, the dealership officially added Land Rover to the lineup and in 2019 acquired the Volvo Fresno auto dealership.

Family owners Jim Haron — the son of Charles Haron — his daughter Hilary Haron and nephew Randy Haron sold the dealership to Unstoppable Automotive Group in Temecula.

Downtown Fresno Partnership President and CEO Elliott Balch praised the dealership for its continued work in helping retain pride in Downtown Fresno.

“We’re so grateful for everything that they’ve built over the years including a beautiful dealership, which is the pride of downtown,” he said. “Different members of the family over the years have been part of our Downtown Partnership, part of our board of directors; they’ve been just so engaged in multiple generations over the years.”

Pride in place was front and center with the Harons and their dealership. Downtown Fresno and the Valley were featured prominently in a series of commercials aired locally during the Super Bowl over the years.

 

Hilary Haron was a fixture at the dealership from an early age, starting as a paper filer and answering phone calls at age 11. Hilary and Randy said the decision to sell was not an easy one to make. 

“Our decision to sell wasn’t taken lightly. The decision on who it was [sold] to wasn’t taken lightly,” Hilary said. “There were a lot of sleepless nights — I don’t even know if we could tally them all up if we wanted to.”

Eventually, however, the Haron’s opted to sell to Unstoppable, admiring their commitment to remain faithful to Downtown Fresno and the footprint the Harons have made over the years.

“We wanted somebody whose going to be able to propel the brand to a higher level,” Randy said, adding that Unstoppable will complete the Volvo side of Haron following the sale. “That’s what was most important to us — who was going to take care of our clients.”

Historically, local and state politicians have honored the businesses, with Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero calling the store “the jewel box of Fresno” in an interview with GV Wire .

Additionally, Haron has received praise from numerous city employees and elected officials, with Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer weighing in on the transition.

“I am thankful that Haron Jaguar has withstood the test of time by not only surviving during economic downturns, to include the pandemic, but thriving.  All while operating downtown,” Dyer said in a statement. “Haron Jaguar has dramatically increased the City of Fresno’s sales tax revenues over the years, and they have also made a multi million dollar investment into their facilities allowing Haron’s Jaguar to be the envy of other dealerships.”