ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- When someone says, ''Let's start with the Corvettes," you know he means business.
"This is my garage, and I store classic cars for individuals in St. Augustine," Sidney Hobbs said Tuesday. His garage in St. Augustine is full of classic cars. But he needs more room, and he plans to open another, larger classic car storage facility next year in St. Augustine.
There's no doubt, he knows there's something about people and cars.
"I truly believe it's memories," he said. People often will tell him about their memories of old cars. But he has some of his own memories too as he walked through the oversized garage.
"I grew up in southern Georgia. My dad was a mail carrier. We always dreamed of owning an old classic car. My dad was a car guy. We dreamed about it, but we never could afford one," Hobbs said.
Then he walked up to a black Trans Am. "I had three jobs in high school. This was my first new car ever," he recalled.
He walked by another classic car. "My daughter was a senior last year. I got to drive her in that car and she won homecoming queen!" he said.
He walked up to a candy-apple red Ford Model A and said, "I bought this car for my dad about 15 years ago for Fathers Day and gave it to him!"
Hobbs has now run out of room at this garage, "so I am building a bigger facility that will accommodate more cars."
It will hold his cars and other people's. He said it will be 30,000 square feet, which is about half the size of a football field.
"The front is going to look like an old 50s gas station," Hobbs noted. He expects to have room for 120 classic cars.
"So although I'll store cars, it will be a showroom as well. So people can come in and view the cars and see them," Hobbs explained.
He will also use the place as a driving force to help other people.
"I do a lot of charity events, so we'll use this to expand our platform for charitable contributions as well," he said.
Hobbs has already received the green light from the St. Johns County Commission as far as rezoning in order to build his dream on U.S. 1 South near Watson Road, about 15 minutes from downtown St. Augustine.
"I hope to be open in about six months," he said.
It'll be a place for cars, memories and those stories.
"There are so many stories," he said. "I could go on and on and on."