A so-far wordless Culver City mystery:
One of the more overt changes at the heavily traveled commercial corner of Slauson Avenue and Hannum since youthful Hooman Nissani stunningly closed down his flashy GMC car dealership on Monday night is the presence of a security guard — during the after-dark hours.
He is believed to represent corporate interests.
In his little white car, the overnight guard patrols the formerly glitzy grounds. At 5:30 this morning, he was positioned at the rear of the property. He is, however, nowhere to be spotted in the daytime, for perhaps obvious reasons.
The explanation for the security guard’s now-he’s-here, now-he-isn’t pattern may lie in the complexities involved in shuttering a business that the entrepreneur himself does not entirely control.
How It Works
Like many dealers, Mr. Nissani’s agency offered both new and used cars to consumers
According to an industry source, previously owned cars generally are regarded as belonging to the owner of the agency.
However, the much more expensive new models, packing greater degrees of liability, are neither owned nor controlled by the local dealer, but, rather, by the manufacturer or by a financial institution.
With the closing of the dealership known as “Hooman’s,” Mr. Nissani’s used-car inventory disappeared.
Where they all went, is not known.
The lot is far from empty. About 50 new models remained on the once brilliantly illumined corner.
In these complex economic times, it is not known whether the decision to shutter the business originated with the somewhat flamboyant 30-year-old Mr. Nissani or with his corporate bosses.
Resting More Easily?
Regardless, the presence of a patrolling watchman standing vigil over a fleet of cars that Mr. Nissani may not remove, could provide night-time solace for the cars’ nervous owners.
In normal times, financial institutions track “their” cars with regular visits to dealers, perhaps somewhat routinely since they know the local dealers are not going to vanish overnight.
With a closed business, the dynamics and concerns are different, especially when the cars in question remain on the old lot.
A Man’s Future
Where the drivingly ambitious 30-year-old Mr. Nissani goes next remains guarded information. He also operates two car properties in Inglewood.
One further question that remains unfulfilled concerns Mr. Nissani’s holdings elsewhere in the south Culver City neighborhood.
Two years ago, Mr. Nissani stealthily entered another community picture at the height of a development frenzy on South Sepulveda Boulevard.
Belatedly-informed neighbors and numerous store owners organized and rose up to protest the intentions of Wilshire Boulevard developer Bob Champion.
He had planned to ultimately overturn dozens of aging (mostly small) businesses on South Sepulveda in the name of modernization.
While residents and entrepreneurs created what turned out to be a successful storm in the face of Mr. Champion, Mr. Nissani softly stepped in behind Mr. Champion and went to work.
Mostly unnoticed, Mr. Nissani bought up several properties that Mr. Champion had been espying for his grand plan.
Mr. Nissani never responded to early reports that his intentions were to lavishly expand his presumably budding car dealership empire to both sides of Sepulveda Boulevard.
The principals in this memory moment have, however, moved on. Mr. Champion is long gone, having been forced out by citizen pressure. And now Mr. Nissani appears to have at least one of his well-shod feet out of town.
There is a rumor, though, among some in his employ that he will return to do car business at the old stand. They hope so.
A Taxing Situation
One of the oddities of civic life this financially strained season in Culver City is that businesses standing back-to-back have shut down in recent days, the Circuit City store, adjacent to Hooman’s, having previously emptied out, along with the rest of the Circuit City chain.
A City Hall source pegged the city’s fiscal loss in sales tax and utility user’s tax revenues at about $750,000.
