Aug. 18, 2017—Girl's Auto Clinic, an auto repair shop based out of Philadelphia, has been garnering national attention for its female empowerment branding strategy, Philadelphia Weekly reports.
Shop owner Patrice Banks has shifted into high gear after opening her Girls Auto Repair shop, a Delaware County based mechanic shop that doubles as a beauty salon. Opened this January, Girl's Auto Clinic is being covered by a number of media sources, such as CBS in the Morning, The Washington Post and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Additionally, Banks also collected Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” award earlier this month for “Best Multipurpose Garage.” She’s also a scheduled speaker at the PA Women’s Conference on Oct. 3, which will have former First Lady Michelle Obama as the keynote speaker.
In 2014, Banks left her six-figure job at Dupont for a full-time mechanic job. With both hands behind the wheel, she envisioned her future enterprise of creating “a safe space not only for women drivers, but also for women who want to work in the industry.” To make this “safe space,” Banks decided to incorporate a salon so that women would be less apprehensive to get their cars checked.
The repair shop mainly hires women mechanics, although it does have a few male mechanics and some male customers.
Currently, her concept of a “woman’s clubhouse” is in full swing, complete with auto repair, nail and hair salon, café, and kid area. No matter how much success comes her way, Banks is still set on her free monthly workshops, a “core value” of hers to provide women with both financially and intellectually accessible car education.
