‘A Celebration of Where We Come From’: Milwaukee Couple Open their Second Dealership

By Chesnie Wardell

This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.

As Terranda and Festus Akinyinka prepared to cut the ribbon for their new auto dealership, children ran around with painted faces, over 250 people were fed, people danced through the lot and visitors toured the business, trying out the massage chairs and viewing cars.

Through love, faith and entrepreneurship, the couple opened their second auto dealership on Milwaukee’s North Side.

Festus Auto Sales had its grand opening on July 26 at 8730 N. 91st St. Since then, the owners have received plaques and awards from Gov. Tony Evers, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and other city officials for their accomplishments.

“We want people to know that this is a big corporation, where big business is done,” Terranda said.

The 18,000-square-foot dealership can hold over 1,000 vehicles and has amenities like a cafeteria, VIP lounge, coworking space for business clients and more.

“We feel like everything doesn’t have to stop just because you’re buying a car or it’s getting fixed,” Terranda said.

The dealership, which sells SUVs, sedans, convertibles, trucks and other vehicle types, employs a diverse team of 14 who speak languages including French, Spanish, Edo, Yoruba and pidgin.

“We can serve more people, and our staff all live within our community,” she said.

Love before business

Before moving to the United States in 2014, Festus sold puppies in Nigeria. He later enrolled at Concordia University Wisconsin to study nursing but struggled with tuition.

“I realized that I actually had to make some money to live OK here,” Festus said.

After switching gears, Festus worked at two different gas stations. He met Terranda in 2015, while working at the second station. They married in 2016.

“Terranda met me when I was making $8 an hour, not when we had all this,” he said. “We love each other for us, not for everything attached to it.”

In addition to his work at the gas stations, Festus also drove Uber and Lyft.

Looking for steady income, he landed a job at Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin.

Introduction to auto sales

It was during that time that Festus decided he wanted to purchase a vehicle, so he attended an auction.

According to Festus, the auctioneer left behind a receipt in the car that showed a $2,000 profit. This sparked his interest in auto sales.

“If somebody can make $2,000 in one day, I want to be in that business,” Festus said.

The first car he bought from the auction broke down.

“I lost that money and was very disappointed. I learned that this was a lot of risk,” he said.

Festus saved money to buy two more vehicles while Terranda encouraged him to put them on Craigslist.

“We sold two vehicles in less than an hour and made about a $3,000 profit on each vehicle,” Terranda said.

As they prepared for future sales, they discovered that Wisconsin law only allows an individual to sell five vehicles in a year.

To sell more, the couple needed a dealer’s license from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The couple obtained their license and began plans to open a dealership. After waiting a year for approval, the couple opened the first Festus Auto Sales at North 76th Street and West Bradley Road.

“When we opened the dealership, I was nervous that I wouldn’t make enough money to take care of my responsibilities,” Festus said.

Business during COVID

When the COVID pandemic hit, Festus was laid off from his job at the blood center, forcing him to work more at the dealership.

“I was scared to go to the dealership. I feared I wasn’t going to be able to make money,” he said.

The couple sold five cars in a week during the start of COVID.

“We made the most money during COVID than the year after COVID,” Terranda said. “We actually made the seed money for the next dealership, too.”

After two years of operating Festus Auto Sales’ first location, the couple closed it and saved enough money to open a second car lot.

During the grand opening, the couple gave away three cars and fellowshipped with family and friends from Milwaukee, Arizona, Texas and Chicago.

Tamara Miles, Terranda’s sister, traveled from Arizona to witness the grand opening. She describes the couple as determined, resilient and passionate.

“Some people just have a passion to be prosperous, but with them, they have the passion to actually do the work,” Miles said.

Balancing family life

As the couple worked to expand their business in 2019, their daughter, Grace Akinyinka, now 6, was born.

“Grace was born into business,” Festus said.

“She doesn’t see it as work, she actually has fun with it,” Terranda said. “And as busy entrepreneurs, she reminds us to save space for family.”

Looking back at how far they’ve come, the Akinyinkas view their dealership as more than just a business goal.

“Festus Auto Sales isn’t a milestone, it’s a celebration of where we come from,” Terranda said.

Keeping the faith

Festus remembers someone telling him to close his dealership.

“This guy said he didn’t see it working because it was too small,” Festus said.

Miles said she admires the couple’s faithfulness to God throughout their journey.

“A lot of people say they are believers, but then try to do excess stuff to prove