The Zeiser Ford dealership closed last Wednesday and nearly all of its vehicle inventory has been moved off the premises. The closing "shocked" at least one employee who said slumping new car sales and a tough economic climate appeared to doom the dealership, located on Veterans Memorial Parkway inside Truesdale city limits. Signs left on the dealership's building directed customers to visit two of Zeiser's remaining dealerships in St. Peters and Florissant. Both dealerships sell Kia vehicles. The closure came after the Zeiser Automotive Group voluntarily closed its adjacent Zeiser Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership prior to Chrysler beginning bankruptcy proceedings April 30. The building that formerly housed the Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership is now occupied by I-70 Auto Body West, a repair shop that has another location in Wentzville. Attempts to reach Zeiser General Manager Mike Feinstein for further comment were unsuccessful. At the time of the move to close the Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership, Feinstein acknowledged the company had been in talks earlier in the year regarding a possible sale to local investors. A Zeiser employee who was cleaning the dealership Friday said employees learned about the closure last week. He added that he would be transferred to Zeiser's St. Peters dealership. He declined to go into anymore detail about the closure. The future of I-70 Auto Body West won't be affected by Zeiser pulling out of Warren County entirely. Tony Lorenz, manager of the business, admitted concerns about less traffic coming to his business, which opened when the Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership closed. Zeiser's closure leaves Gastorf-Schrumpf Motors, a Chevrolet dealership also located on nearby property, as the only local dealer selling new vehicles.