The business is being sold to Great Plains, a tractor company with locations in Ada and Duncan.

The couple began their business in 1968 and have worked in Shawnee for nearly 45 years. Their store was originally called Dinsmore Truck and Equipment Company.

“It’s been a big adventure for all of us,” Jacklyn Dinsmore said. “We’d go on, but we’re just tired.”

In 1982 the Dinsmores began selling Kubota equipment, which has remained a staple for them. In the 1980s, they also began selling Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars. This was difficult for them.

“We were not big enough for two shifts,” Jacklyn Dinsmore said.

She added that she and her husband did not like to be away from the business, and a car dealership must be open 6 days a week, for 11 or 12 hours a day.

It was too much, she said.

The Dinsmores began renting to the car dealership, but it took them nearly three years to find another location.

“But we kept our business going, in spite of them,” Jacklyn Dinsmore said.

She added that both she and her husband are looking forward to retirement. First they intend to go on a cruise, and then to visit one of their sons in Costa Rica, she said.

Her oldest son and grandson will stay on with the company after it is sold, Jacklyn Dinsmore said.

“The main thing I think customers could always say is we always put them first,” she said. “That’s the secret of a business. Always treat the customer like you want to be treated.”