I just had a conversation with a gentleman whose wife grew up with the Lazy Daze family and he told me why they closed. The company was started by grandparents and then their children took over the business. The latest generation was not interested in continuing the business and also they did not know how to run the business. Ultimately, they ended up selling off the land. They sold off all the parts that was in their inventory and then sold the land because they realized that the value of the land was greater than selling the business. So now we know!
Hi Curly Blue; Well That is all speculation, and like all such rumors, isn't true. The actual reasons are personal, and I promised that I wouldn't reveal the complicated details. Steve Newton may settle this if he wishes, but it isn't our business. RonB
Steve Newton may settle this if he wishes, but it isn't our business. RonB
Great point, Ron. Anything that isn't from Steve Newton himself is nothing more than hearsay. It's inappropriate to be spreading unsubstantiated rumors.
Can’t speculate on what is true, but the tale of generational businesses being abandoned by their inheritors is all too common. We just experienced this with our beloved Escapees club where the younger generation found it more profitable to cash in than to carry on. Sad!
Before we spend too much time regretting younger generations who don't carry on the family business (not that I'm saying that's what happened at LD), let's be realistic: many kids simply don't want to do what their parents did, and there's no shame in that.
I know if my parents--one a paleontologist and the other a field biologist--had tried to push me into following in their footsteps, the results would have been unhappy all around. I'm grateful that they didn't try. From an early age I wanted to play with things that had pushbuttons, flashing lights, and whirling gears, and they were smart enough to see that and not try to fight it.
I don't need to speculate about whether Steve wanted to continue the business. The Covid'19 put many of his 'A' list vendors out of business. Many of those suppliers had trouble with their suppliers. Steve had to devote a lot of time and money to obtain replacement part suppliers to keep building. Unlike huge companies like Thor or Fleetwood, he couldn't make long term arrangements for part suppliers.
He also had to compete with those same large companies for E450 chassis from Ford. Many of the workers, long time employees of Lazy Daze, had found other employment and were reluctant to return. These employees were a 'cut above' the average, and had detailed knowledge about how the many facets of LD construction were done. The quality control was achieved by everybody's knowledge base. I compare it to Mike's pictures of Coach House workers.
Another factor was the deteriorating condition of the neighborhood where the factory was located in Montclair. Theft, vandalism, and harassment of employees, not to mention customers, as the company tried to continue business on a very thin profit margin (if any) was rampant.
I'm glad to know that Steve felt it important to protect the integrity of the Lazy Daze Brand reputation. I know that when Thor bought Jayco, the price of used rigs went up! Jayco owners knew what would happen. Born Free sold out, and we saw what happened there.
Too many business people buy a distressed company, cheapen the product as much as possible, and drive a good reputation 'into the ground' before selling off the assets. RonB (and Steve Newton is still alive despite other misinformed people's articles)
Before we spend too much time regretting younger generations who don't carry on the family business (not that I'm saying that's what happened at LD), let's be realistic: many kids simply don't want to do what their parents did, and there's no shame in that.
Yep!
I didn’t follow in my father’s footsteps, nor did any of my three children follow in mine or their mothers.
What is sad is they apparently were only focused upon maximizing profit from the legacy business they inherited, rather than find someone passionate to buy the company. Maybe that did happen? As others have said, only Steve has the real reason.
RONB is straight on about the situation at LD in the post covid lockdown years. When we picked up our 2021 rear bath we found several issues indicating poorer quality issues. Steve told me that due to a faulty wiring issue with the left rear outside porch light the furnace was destroyed and had to be replaced before our taking delivery in September 2020. Steve told me he actually lost money on our coach for these reasons. After returning home to Florida we found the entry door was badly out of alignment leaving a gap in the upper left corner. The inside metal frame around the large front windows were screwed down too tightly preventing the screens to slide in their tracks. I fixed that. The roof was supposed to be fully painted as was my 2010 rear bath, however there were two rectangular areas were unpainted. Fortunately the base coat paint that came on the aluminum sheet was sufficient.
In June of 2021 we returned to the factory to have the door problem addressed which LD completed very nicely. During that time we had a good conversation with Steve after hours where he was telling us how much trouble he has been having the neighborhood. One issue was persons dumping truck loads of trash in the west end of his parking area. It was very costly to have it removed properly. One Saturday Steve said he had come to the shop to work in the back but parked his truck at the entry gate. While he was there some thieves drove past the open gate and entered the shop stealing tools. Steve tried to block their exit but one thief pulled a gun on him telling his to move his truck out of the way. They then hurriedly left. The thieves were never located. Obviously that was traumatic and coupled with everything else, Steve had enough! Hopefully he has found some peace in his life. His family made a lot of LD owners enjoy the traveling lifestyle and the friendships made along the way.
We all have the freedom to make choices in our lives. No matter the reason they made theirs. Enough said!