Image by Flickr user EnnorImage by 20090113-car-dealer.jpg Giant sales or not, many dealerships couldn't make it during 2008.

By the end of 2008 there were 13% fewer car dealerships in South Carolina.

You can head over to The Charleston Regional Business Journal for the story.

Given the pains of the auto industry due to dropping sales, it seems hardly shocking that so many dealerships closed up last year. Still, job loss is never a good thing, and given the size and position of many car dealerships, it's going to be a problem for cities to not allow the empty lots to become eyesores.