A.D. Farrow's new Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership in Sunbury, Ohio, deserves a closer look. Literally. In fact, the dealership looks so good it won the "Best Exterior" award in Dealernews' latest Top 100 competition.

The A.D. Farrow name carries a lot of weight in the Harley-Davidson community. And it should, since the dealership's store in Columbus, Ohio, is the world's oldest H-D retail location.

The new 18-acre Sunbury store, which opened in February 2007, consists of a 30,000 sq. ft., three-story facility that melds old and new. Housed mostly in a newly built red-brick building topped by a faux water tower emblazoned with the H-D logo, the dealership features a modern main showroom that juts from the brick façade; an 8,000 sq. ft., six-door service area; and an expansive parking lot that allows for more than 200 cars, two rider training ranges and ample room for various gatherings.

Stand out in the parking lot, cover one eye and look at the building; you're sure to see a design mimicking Harley-Davidson's Juneau Avenue facility in Milwaukee, built in 1912 to serve as the Motor Co.'s headquarters. It's a design theme that carries on inside the Sunbury location.

The dealership's interior features a two-story vaulted showroom and a PG&A display area that replicates what H-D offices in Milwaukee may have looked like in earlier years. The parts counter is connected to the service area to ensure easy interaction between the two departments. The service area, large enough to serve intake and storage needs, also can be accessed via the six door garage. Floor-to-ceiling glass-paneled garage doors are kept up during pleasant weather. During events — festivities often held in the parking lot — the large doors also allow customers easy access inside.

AMERICA'S OLDEST IS NEW AGAIN

"We wanted something old and something new — a faithful, all-brick replica of the old Harley-Davidson factory," says A.D. Farrow Co. owner Bob Althoff. "We have been in our downtown store for more than 65 years, so we built something that would last us at least 65 more."

A.D. Farrow Timeline

Althoff and his wife, Valerie, acquired the A.D. Farrow dealership in Columbus in December 2002 after he left a career on Wall Street. "I tell people I was saving my money so I could live my dream," Althoff says. The duo, longtime motorcycle enthusiasts, set into motion a series of rapid changes by improving facilities and launching a range of community service activities, all to great success. Then, in late 2005, they decided they could do even more. They opened the Sunbury location 18 months later.

Sunbury is a village in Delaware County, Ohio. Home to a major manufacturing facility for American Showa, which produces suspension parts for Honda of America, Sunbury hosts a population of about 3,300 residents. The village is exploring becoming a city when its population reaches 5,000 residents, which may be within the next 10 years. The best part: It's on the only major route linking Columbus and Cleveland.