Success stories
Recession busting garage offers DIY mechanics an easy fix
Friday 23rd July
A Darwen entrepreneur has opened the first DIY garage in the North West, with some help from No Limits.
Darren Jones, of Tockholes, opened Autopia, based on Railway Road, to give motor enthusiasts the opportunity to service their own vehicles using equipment usually only found in professional garages.
Customers rent bays within the 1,600 square metre business, two of which come complete with a hydraulic ramp, for £10 per hour plus VAT. An extensive range of tools are also available on site.
Darren, 48, started the business after leaving the IT industry which he worked in for 20 years. He says: “I wanted something a bit closer to home and had been restoring my own classic car, a 1979 MG, which I really enjoyed. From that I got the idea for the business and just ran with it. I only know of two other places in the UK that do what we do: one in Norfolk and one in London.”
And he was able to turn to No Limits Get Set for help. Get Set provides advice, information and grants to new businesses. Through them he was able to use advisors at Blackburn and District Enterprise Trust and also got a grant towards his start-up costs.
Since opening in January he’s had a varied range of customers through the door from young petrol heads to older enthusiasts. He adds: “We had an 80-year old guy recently who booked his MG in for three hours. By the end of it he’d been able to do a basic service. He left with a real buzz.
“Everybody that’s been in has been very impressed with the facility and business has been good so far. At the moment it’s about proving the concept and I’m hoping things are really going to take off over the next year.”
Autopia is open seven days a week: 8am-8pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-6pm (Sat) and 10am-4pm (Sun)
For more information phone (01254) 433397 or visit: www.autopiaservicecentres.co.uk
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