Childhood friendship forges new partnership

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    PATTEN — Two young men, life-long friends, had more than that in common when they formed J&B Auto Repair as a business venture a couple of months ago. “We’ve been best friends all through school. And, he just got out of college so I figured if I’m going to go into [business] with somebody, I want someone who has the same interests and somebody I can get along with,” says Jake Gardner.
SIGN OF THE TIMES — Jake Gardner, left, with childhood friend and partner, Bryan Guiggey, outside the multi-purpose building that houses their new auto repair business in the heart of Patten’s shopping district.
   Gardner says Steve Anderson, the property owner at 6 Main Street in Patten, had a vacant space in a  multi-purpose building which he offered them as a rental if Gardner wanted to go into business. “They were such polite, honest young men looking for the right opportunity. They’re the type you could leave your door open and not worry,” said Anderson who has known Gardner since “he was little and who has always been polite, quiet and honest.”
    Gardner says with the economy as it is and few prospects on the horizon, “this is what I wanted to do, so I did it myself and I hope it does well.” The young entrepreneur took automotive technology college courses in Pennsylvania after finishing at Katahdin High School. But, he says his interest in cars goes back to childhood, learning alongside family and friends.
    Partner Bryan Guiggey says, like Gardner, he hopes to have a future with J&B. “I just want to be able to  have a good life. I like the area around here. There are not a lot of job opportunities. But, I just want to stay around here. All my family lives in this area.”
PARTNERS AT WORK —  Bryan Guiggey, left, and Jake Gardner show how they team up to work on vehicles and save their customers money on the hourly rate. Gardner says he likes the configuration of the  auto bay that has room to work underneath without using a lift.
    That sentiment was echoed by Anderson who says too many young people leave the area or end up working for someone else, even if they have the desire to go into business. “I know they will be extremely  busy if they stick with it and word gets out  about how clean and polite and honest they are.”
    Licensed for auto repair and inspection, Guiggey says, “I like it all” when it comes to the various kinds of repairs that customers need.
    On the other hand, Gardner, who agrees that he likes all kinds of jobs, does say he relishes the repair he makes after a customer has tried other repair shops without success. “I like the stuff when people bring something and they can’t figure out exactly what’s wrong. And, they take it everywhere else and it doesn’t work out for them and you get it running right for them and they’re really happy about it. I feel like I really accomplished something.”
    Guiggey says they are in a prime location, nestled in the heart of the shopping area. “It’s actually a real good location. It’s a small town, but all the big stores are right here. The hardware store is right there. They get a lot of business. And, of course the grocery store’s right across the road. And, you’ve got the bank and the drug store. We’re pretty much right in the middle of it all.”
    And, then their landlord has several operations in the shared building, including a car wash, a barber shop and a lawn care business, that generates commercial traffic.
    One of the things that the partners offer is competitive rates on the jobs whether it’s for an oil change, a brake job, front-end work or something else. And, by having two of them working on a vehicle at once they say, their $30-an-hour rate is even better for their customers because the job is finished in about half the time. The shop also handles small engine repairs for machines like lawnmowers, ATVs and snowsleds.
    So, for now, the new business is, they say, getting good word-of-mouth and they have a hopeful look to the future.
    In addition to scheduled appointments, J&B Auto Repair takes walk-in clients. They are open Monday—Friday,7:30 a.m.—5 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m.—noon. They can be reached at 267-0542 or 538-7209.