Frog Hollow Garage

Ben Reinke, Chevrolet (sales, parts and service)dealership. Location 20 Hicksville Road - Boundary/Hicksville and Stewart. Frog Hollow Garage opened for business October 1927. Gasoline was 17 cents a gallon -- six gallons for a dollar. Ben Reinke, owner, was a native of the area, born July 10, 1895 and raised on a farm on Seamen's Neck Road, Wantagh. His vetnure into the business world was in the early 1920's when he purchased the first tractor in the area and did contract plowing for the local farmers. A tractor drawn plow could turn over the soil 5 to 6 inches deeper than a horse drawn plow and was in demand because crop yield and quality was increased. (An interesting side note of this was that by plowing that extra depth, hundreds of arrow heads were turned up. Reinke's collection has been displayed throughout Long Island.) By 1923, with his tractor work going well it was time to marry Emily Decker from Newbridge Avenue in North Bellmore. In l925 their son Duke was born and that same year Ben and Emily bought property in Central Park at the intersection of Hicksville Road and Nibbe (now Stewart)Avenue. In 1927 they built a house and garage-showroom, on the site. That same year an agreement was signed with Chevrolet Motor Division and Ben Reinke was now a Chevrolet Dealer. Sales were slow to increase from the first year (total of 11 units) until the end of World War II when developers bought up farm after farm and built thousands of homes in the surrounding area. Sales jumped, old Frog Hollow ran out of room, so in l957, a new facility was built on the property to the North. There it continued to grow and sales climbed into the 600 range.Ben passed away in l972 and the business was carried on by Duke, his son, who had been a partner since l950. Emily followed Ben two years later. In l977, Frog Hollow closed its doors and the building is now the home of the Knights of Columbus. Written and submitted by B. "Duke" Reinke.