Atamian Honda marks 50 years in Tewksbury

Atamian Honda will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Oct. 27 with a luncheon at its Main Street dealership in Tewksbury. The milestone underscores the Atamian family’s long auto-industry run, the dealership’s expansion into a roughly 40,000-square-foot operation, and its deep local philanthropy.

Why it matters: - Atamian Honda’s 50th anniversary shows how a family dealership built long-term loyalty in Tewksbury, Lowell and Greater Boston. - The milestone also highlights the staying power of Honda’s brand, the Atamian family’s automotive legacy and the dealership’s local charitable footprint. - The dealership’s anniversary comes as community-driven retail businesses face pressure to prove they can still compete, expand and retain trust over decades.

What happened: - Atamian Honda will mark its golden anniversary on Oct. 27, 2026, at 150 Main Street in Tewksbury. - The dealership plans an anniversary luncheon honoring employees, customers, partners and families tied to the business since the Honda franchise opened in 1976. - Terry Atamian leads the dealership as president. - The business started on Oct. 27, 1976, as a d/b/a of Atamian Volkswagen Incorporated. - The operation now runs as a roughly 40,000-square-foot dealership.

The details: - Terry Atamian says his interest in Honda began as a teenager when he recovered a flooded Honda QA50 minibike from Pout Pond in Uxbridge and got the engine running again. - Bob Atamian, Terry Atamian’s father and a Volkswagen dealer, later considered adding a second franchise during VW’s mid-1970s struggles. - Terry Atamian pushed for Honda over other options because of the brand’s engineering reputation. - The Volkswagen franchise was later sold, and the Main Street property was redeveloped into a Honda-only dealership. - Additional land was acquired as the business expanded into the larger facility. - The Lowell Sun reported in 2010 that Terry Atamian unveiled a multi-million-dollar expansion and said the dealership had doubled its workforce to about 70 employees over two decades without a layoff. - The Atamian family’s automotive history stretches back more than a century, including Archie Atamian’s trucking business in Uxbridge, Nish Atamian’s Rambler dealerships and Atamian Ford, and Eli and Bob Atamian’s launch of Atamian Motors in Worcester in 1961. - By the late 1960s, Bob Atamian had established Atamian Volkswagen in Tewksbury, setting up Honda’s arrival seven years later.

Between the lines: - The anniversary is not just a celebration of tenure; it is a reminder that dealership longevity often depends on family continuity, reinvestment and local goodwill. - Terry Atamian frames the business as a trust relationship with the community, not just a sales operation. - The dealership’s history suggests the Atamian name has been built through successive generations rather than a single expansion cycle. - The charitable activity reinforces that the dealership’s local identity is tied to civic participation as much as automotive sales.

What's next: - Atamian Honda plans to keep serving Tewksbury, Lowell and Greater Boston beyond the anniversary. - Terry Atamian says the dealership intends to remain in the region for a long time. - The company’s next chapter appears focused on preserving the family model while sustaining community ties and dealership growth. - In July, Terry Atamian made a $36,000 winning bid for a tour of Jay Leno’s car collection, with proceeds supporting physical therapy scholarships at UMass Lowell in tribute to his late brother, Robbie Atamian, which points to continued philanthropic activity going forward.

The bottom line: - Atamian Honda’s 50-year run is a story of family succession, local loyalty and steady reinvestment, with no sign the dealership is leaving Tewksbury any time soon. - The dealership also says the full anniversary history and company information are available at more information.