Providence Automotive celebrated a few major milestones on Saturday at its grand reopening.
The shop celebrated its seventh birthday and the expansion of its facilities, all without having to move locations.
“It happened very serendipitously that the gentleman that was in this shop wanted to move into the shop that had air conditioning over there,” Executive Manager Shannon Fasick said. “So, we were able to get this original shop [and] now have both of the big buildings.”
However, the work is not done. There are a couple more surprises still in store for the shop.
“We will soon be offering tire services,” Fasick said. “So, we won't be a full-service tire shop. We won't have, like, every single tire size in stock, but we will have the ability to order tires.”
The shop has come a long way since it first opened under the ownership of Jake Akins in 2019.
“When I moved into this first building, it was me and my dog,” Jake said.
Now the shop has over 10 employees, one of whom is his son Michael Akins.
He reflected on the growth of not only his business but the surrounding developments.
The shop's intent is still to remain family-centered and community-driven.
“We do more than fix cars,” Jake said. “We help all the community … in their darkest moment a lot of times. Nobody's in a good situation when they show up at our front door, and for me and I think the rest of my team, it's more about helping people out than it is about fixing cars or making money or anything like that.”
One of those loyal customers is Emma Moore, who’s become well acquainted with staff in the year since she’s been coming.
“I actually just bought my first house down the road from here, and shortly after that, of course, when you make a big purchase, then your car is like, ‘My turn, my turn,’” Moore said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, they're just right up the road. I'll stop in up there,’ and I keep coming back every time.”
She decided to show up at the event as a way of saying thank you.
“They care not just about your car, but about you,” Moore said. “They'll come and pick me up and drop me off when my car is in the shop, which I know not every shop does. It's just the attention to detail, I think, and just going the extra mile, I think, is the really impressive part about this place.”
Members from the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce came to show their support for the business and do the ribbon cutting.
“On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, we want to congratulate Providence Automotive,” President Shannon Black said.
Also, there were Providence Village's newest council member, Jason Lucas, and town staff.
Friends and family of Jake were there, too, including his mom, Lynn Mowles.
“I'm so proud of him,” Mowles said.
She recalled how far Jake has come while reflecting on early childhood memories of her son and his love of cars.
“He's proud of his shop, and that shows,” Mowles said. “… He's proud of his people. Proud of his son, and it shows.”
