SHOP: Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive LOCATION: Minneapolis OWNER: Tim Suggs SIZE: 15,000 square feet
MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 550 ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.1 million
1) Shop Pets
Before the shop’s relocation in 2014, owner Tim Suggs stumbled across a stray cat that the shop decided to adopt. The black cat has become a symbol for Turbo Tim’s and has made its way onto the branding for the current facility. One cat turned out not to be enough for Suggs: The shop inherited another black cat from one of its customers. Suggs’ wife and co-owner of the shop, Rachel Grewell, says if Suggs had it his way, the shop would be filled with cats.
2) Eye-Catching Signage
When they moved into their current location, Suggs and Grewell asked around about the cost of purchasing a sign. When they uncovered the expense, they decided to make their own and enlisted the help of the staff and their local artist friends. They cut out the letters and the logo, which features a cat with its tail wrapped around a turbo, and even rusted the letters to create a patina feel.
3) Customer Love
The eclectic logo for the shop can be found on various branding materials, including $5 T-shirts that the shop sells. The T-shirts are a big hit. Although Grewell says they’ve never calculated how much of a profit they’ve turned on selling these, she says it’s a great way to get their name out there. One of their customers was in a band, CHARN, and took a photo onstage wearing the shirt and shared it with the shop.
4) Art Appreciation
For the past few years, Turbo Tim’s has participated in an art show in Minneapolis called Art-A-Whirl. During the art show, Turbo Tim’s hosts a car-crushing event where Suggs drives over donated customer vehicles, which have been painted by local artists, with a military vehicle he purchased several years ago. The shop also makes a point to purchase an art piece each year and display it in the lobby of the shop.
5) Mural Wall
The staff is friends with artists that are a part of a collective group of artists that create collaborative pieces. They created a mural featuring Suggs’ truck floating in the fish tank that takes up an entire wall in the shop.
6) Not-Your-Average Shop Floor
The artsy feel at Turbo Tim’s doesn’t stop at the lobby. The shop floor, which features 16 lifts and individual workbays for each of its 12 technicians, features bold colors. The color scheme was based off the colors used in Suggs and Grewell’s wedding.
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