Longtime vehicle vendor Mike Steven has died at age 80. One in all his ahead-of-its-time concepts was a motorized bike retailer in Wichita effectively earlier than the bikes grew to become common nationally.
File picture
For many of final week, there was a desk reserved on the Candle Membership for somebody who wouldn’t be coming to make use of it.
That’s as a result of longtime common Mike Steven — certainly one of solely two individuals who had his identify embroidered on a Candle chair — died Wednesday at age 80. In his honor, the membership didn’t seat anybody on the desk, which had an indication together with his identify on it, an unlit cigarette in an ashtray and his favourite Ten Excessive bourbon with a splash of water.
“Properly, that was his spot,” mentioned Brandon Steven, his third cousin. “He was there lots. Most of his enterprise was accomplished there.”
By the years, Brandon Steven bought a lot of vehicle dealerships from Mike Steven, together with his father’s Eddy’s Toyota of Wichita, and the Candle Membership is the place they’d negotiate.
“Mike will negotiate tooth and nail on each deal,” Brandon Steven mentioned. “He’s going to depend the staples within the stapler.”
Nonetheless, he added, “In enterprise, I realized this from Mike . . . and I say it on a regular basis, a good deal is an efficient deal for you and a great deal for me.”
As powerful of a negotiator as he might be, Brandon Steven mentioned his cousin “was some of the beneficiant folks” in his private life.
“You weren’t going to pay for a drink or meal if Mike was there.”
Retired automobile vendor Dawson Grimsley of Davis-Moore Auto Group mentioned Mike Steven “at all times tried to purchase me a set of golf golf equipment as a result of he needed me to go take off and play golf as an alternative of competing towards him.”
They didn’t at all times agree, like when a 17-year-old Grimsley pinstriped a automobile for Steven and “he form of raised hell for the way a lot I charged him.”
The 2 later did a lot greater enterprise collectively.
“Mike had his buddies and foes, however when Mike informed you one thing, you may put it within the financial institution,” Grimsley mentioned. “I purchased a Chrysler retailer from him again within the day on a handshake.”
Parks Motors proprietor John Culver mentioned when he purchased his dealership in 1990, Steven reached out to supply assist.
“There was no person that was higher enjoyable or had higher tales after hours,” Culver mentioned. “His tales would maintain you on the bar effectively previous quittin’ time.”
Most of these tales are the kinds that most likely shouldn’t be shared in an obituary or a household newspaper.
“Properly, no, I’m going to have to attract the road there,” Culver mentioned.
There was one other aspect of Steven as effectively. Culver mentioned when his daughter labored at the First Place, she at all times mentioned, “Mike was simply probably the most genteel gentleman to stroll via the door.”
In enterprise, Culver mentioned Steven “was at all times form of avant-garde” with the “freshest concepts on the block. Now, they didn’t at all times work, however they have been actually novel concepts.”
That features leasing vehicles from an area on the mall, contemplating taking his small dealership public when no others have been doing so and promoting motorized bikes lengthy earlier than they grew to become common.
“This man was a couple of mile forward of everyone else,” Culver mentioned.
Within the Wichita vehicle group, he mentioned, Steven was “in regards to the final of the outdated guard.”
Candle Membership managing associate Judah Craig mentioned Steven preferred the membership as a result of he may smoke there and it has “the old-school really feel.” The membership even stored Vegas-style glasses — a taller, thinner model of a standard cocktail glass — for Steven.
His desk was the primary one previous the hostess stand “so he may form of see the entire room,” Craig mentioned.
After the demise of Midwest Company Aviation proprietor Marvin Autry — the one different Candle member with the particular embroidered chair — the membership honored him by retaining a photograph of Autry in entrance of his favourite airplane. Craig mentioned he’ll do one thing comparable for Steven.
Nonetheless, he mentioned, “It’s positively going to really feel like one thing’s lacking round right here.”