Courtesy My Auto Service
SHOP: My Auto Service LOCATION: Las Vegas OWNER: Jimmy and Jim Lodge
SIZE: 5,800 square feet STAFF: 6 MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 700
ANNUAL REVENUE: $550,000
Most customers don’t necessarily feel like dancing when they step into a repair shop. But, with the retro jukebox pumping out tunes inside the lobby of My Auto Service in Las Vegas, the father-son ownership team of Jim and Jimmy Lodge hope that will all change.
Opened in August 2014, this is the Lodge’s fourth location in the Las Vegas area. And with this shop, they went for something a little different and created a theme for their lobby.
1) The theme all stems from a time when the shop’s business manager, Tasha Kroeker, and Jim were out shopping and spotted a red couch. Its black-and-red color scheme reminded Kroeker of a 50s diner. Jim hated it. She struck a deal with Jim that at the next shop he opened, she would get to decorate. When the new shop opened, Kroeker went back for the couch and was able turn her vision into a reality. The couch served as the jumping-off point for the rest of the retro decor. Other interesting touches include the engine table that lights up, vintage posters and records on the wall.
The decades theme has been such a huge success with customers that the Lodges plan to stick with themes for any future stores that might pop up.
2) The property has a large, fenced-in area behind the facility that houses the business’s U-Haul rental operation, a unique feature that none of the other My Auto Service shops have. The service has really taken off. Customers that come in for service on their repair vehicles are returning to take advantage of the U-Haul rental and vice-versa, creating repeat customers.
3) Not only are there typical waiting-room amenities like a TV and magazines, but the lobby also has a retro arcade bowling game that keeps customers entertained while they wait for their vehicles. The digital bowling game is a welcome change of pace for customers who are sick of daytime television and looking for a bit of nostalgia.
4) The Lodges understand the stress most customers feel when getting their vehicles repaired—particularly those customers who come in with their children. So, My Auto Service provides a welcoming and fun kids area that includes foam mats, a TV with a DVD player, toys and coloring contests with the prize of a free oil change for their parents.
5) The bathroom is also a major selling point for the shop. “We’ve had customers say that they’ve never seen a bathroom so clean,” Jimmy says. With multiple daily checks to keep up with the high standards, this bathroom is not to be missed. Keeping with the 50s theme, it has vintage posters, including one of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
6) My Auto Service has a mascot named “Tin Jim” that makes his way to all four shops for special promotions and events. The mascot is made entirely of car parts with a muffler for the body, exhaust pipes and catalytic converters for the arms and muscles, exhaust for the legs, and a head made out of a catalytic converter.
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