PENDLETON — Boles Chevrolet Inc. has closed, the owner confirmed Tuesday.

Willie Boles said that Tuesday was the dealership’s last day of business, but he would not comment further.

The closing leaves Pendleton residents without a car dealership in their town, a situation Town Manager Doug McGee said he hopes doesn’t last forever.

“There’s been a car dealership in Pendleton for decades,” McGee said. “It’s quite a loss to the town. Willie Boles has been a good corporate citizen.”

Boles Chevrolet’s lot, 525 E. State St., was once the home of Puckett Chevrolet. Boles and his company had been members of the Chamber of Commerce for Anderson & Madison County since 1995, chamber President Keith Pitcher said.

The dealership reported having 30 full-time employees and one part-time employee late last year, Pitcher said.

Word of the dealership’s closing was sad news, Pitcher said.

“It’s just another indication about how rough things are in the auto industry and in the whole economy,” he added.

In the past two years, two other Madison County car dealerships have closed. Payton Wells closed in January 2007, and Weidner Chevrolet closed a year ago. Both dealerships were located on North Broadway in Anderson.