The converted 2 bay gas station was soon outgrown, and by 1975 Duke's boasted 11 bays at its new facility on Dort Highway. In 1978 Duke's purchased a competitor across town on Clio Rd. known as "The Car Stereo Factory". In 1986 a third store was opened in Bay City. When Duke Evans retired in 1987, he was succeeded by junior partner Jim Crary, and two other longtime employees, Mark Cormier, and Dav
e Barclay. At that time, the "Tape Shack" was dropped and the name changed to "Duke's Car Stereo". In 1988 a fourth store was built in the heart of Flint's main retail activity on Miller Road. In the year 2000, the Miller Rd location was expanded to include a separate division that specializes in cellular phones and wireless applications from Sprint, Nextel, Verizon and T-Mobile. Over the years, Duke's has led the market by being first in the area to introduce new mobile electronics products and services. More car audio, cruise controls, car alarms, and remote starters have been installed by Duke's than any other place in Mid-Michigan. Duke's is known to carry top brand names and ranks as one of the oldest in the nation for names like Kenwood, Audiovox and Viper. Duke's has won national recognition by taking first place in the 1993 I.A.S.C.A. Car Stereo Finals, and in 1994 was ranked among the top four retailers in the U.S. in the category of "Best Small Chain". In 1995 Duke's was voted a "Top 100 Viper Dealer". The year 2000 marked Duke's 30th Anniversary and Kenwood officially recognized Duke's as "America's Oldest Kenwood Dealer." Duke's has a solid reputation in the area, and is perceived as being the first, the biggest, and the best car audio specialist in Mid-Michigan! In 2001, Audio Video Magazine named Duke's to their list of the "10 Best 12volt Retailers" in America, and in 2002 Duke's was named " #1 Retailer of the Year" by Mobile Electronics Magazine. In April of 2003 Duke's opened a beautiful new store on Bay road in Saginaw. Dave Barclay retired in 2009. Duke's Communications was sold in 2010 and Jim and Mark have concentrated their efforts toward Car Audio with 2 locations in Flint on Miller Rd. and Dort Hwy. Saginaw on Bay Rd. and Bay City on Euclid. Jim and Mark have added windshield replacement and spray on bed liners to the car audio mix.
