Sorento Imports is the brainchild of former Kenwood Inn and Spa owner Terry Grimm and his 25-year-old son Nick. Photo by Ryan Lely.
Scooters are a familiar sight most everywhere in the world. Thousands of them move with zippy grace among gridlocked automobiles on the ancient roads of Rome, Athens, and Beijing. Americans, who all too often have a special place in their hearts for gas-guzzling and lane-crowding SUVs, have been slow to straddle the fuel-efficient modes of transportation. Sorento Imports in Sonoma is prepared to change all that.
The shiny and sleek scooters are lined up in a lot in front of and inside the renovated showroom on West Napa Road near the Safeway. With its mangled pavement and security fencing, the abandoned space had been something of an eyesore for more than 3 years. Ironically enough, the place that had once been a gas station now sells scooters, some of which will get up to 100 miles per gallon.
Sorento Imports is the brainchild of former Kenwood Inn and Spa owner Terry Grimm and his 25-year-old son Nick. Last year when gas prices had surpassed $4 per gallon, father and son thought the residents of Sonoma Valley might by ready to accept alternative ways to tool around town. They had had their eyes on the building for some time and were now ready to pounce.
“We gave the structure a whole new look and were all ready to go, but had to wait longer than we expected for a business license,” said Nick Grimm, whose background in construction and steel work came in handy. “Even before opening, we had many people stop by to see what’s happening and there’s been lots of interest in our great selection of scooters.”
Sorento Imports sells various models by three manufacturers. Adly Moto scooters are made in Taiwan by HerChee Industrial, which is internationally known for its high quality. Volari is the name Sorento Imports is putting on their exclusive brand of scooters. The 50cc and 125 cc models are perfect driving the roads in the Valley, but are not powerful enough for highway use. Prices for both begin at $1295.
“We’ve also fully restored two great vintage 150cc Vespa scooters from the 60s that are well-made and like all our scooters carry a full one-year warranty,” said Nick Grimm, who will act as Sorento Imports’ manager. “Vespa is the type of scooters people are the most familiar with and within in the next few weeks we’ll have 7 additional models to offer our customers.”
Sorento Imports had its grand opening last weekend and served hot dogs, munchies, and soft drinks to their invited guests and the large number of folks who decided to stop by. The weekend resulted in a couple of sales and many test drives. The father and son team are optimistic that Sonoma Valley will soon develop a serious case of international scooter fever.
Sorento Imports. 455 W. Napa Rd., Sonoma; 707.938.0800. Hours: daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.
