New auto shop focusing on customer service

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/09/2015 (3722 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a fresh but familiar face in the auto repair game out on Pandora Avenue West.

“It’s only been a month since I put signage up,” said Dustin Jackson sitting inside the Silver Auto Centre (351 Pandora Ave. W) on a sunny afternoon in the Park City recently.

Jackson said he initially got into doing body work as a means of paying rent while playing drums in a number of punk rock bands. As a young guy in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, going on tour and playing music was a top priority for Jackson.

“It was the easiest way to keep touring and work very little,” he said with a laugh. “I’d go on tour with the bands, and when I got home these little car dealers all over Transcona would let me work out of their shops. I’d fix a few bumpers, pay some rent, and go on tour again.”

Jackson kept at it for a few years, but eventually got out of the auto game to focus on music and sound mixing.

“I love doing sound, it’s my passion,” said Jackson, who recently became a father. “But a few years ago I thought, do I want to be a sound guy for ever?”

While the shop has only just opened to the public Jackson, a Murdoch MacKay grad, has been in the spot for a few years doing detail work for auto dealers he’d worked with in the past.

“I sold some studio equipment, my wife chipped in some money,” he said. “We paid first and last month’s rent. I had some tools, bought some more, then had a few hundred dollars left so I bought some paint and some sandpaper. And here I am!”

There’s also some history with shop itself.

“I rented this exact shop in 2001 as a detail shop,” he said. “But, historically, this building has been a body shop since 1960, so people know it as a body shop.”

So far, business has been good.

“People see us here, so they just pull in,” he said.

From conversations with new customers, Jackson believes there is a growing demand for one-on-one customer service that a small, independent shop like Silver Auto offers.

“They’re seeing the value in it, in building that relationship,” he said. “People are leaning away from going to those big box stores for service. Knowing the person, being able to hold them accountable, and being honest with them is what’s really important.”

And that relationship is key for Jackson and his customers, the bottom line is always on everyone’s mind.

“At the end of the day, it’s money, and a small shop has to stay competitive,” he said. “They’re happy to build a relationship with you, but you still have to give them a good deal.”

Silver Auto Centre (351 Pandora Ave. W) is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and closed on weekends. Call 204-414-3705 for more information.

Facebook.com/TheHeraldWPG
Twitter: @heraldWPG