Shop View: A Master Mechanic
1. Rebranding the Building
A Master Mechanic was converted into a repair shop from a nightclub. According to Shari Pheasant, owner and business strategist at A Master Mechanic, neighbors disliked the building and viewed it as a sore spot in the neighborhood. Shari and her husband, Jeff, remodeled it, added the brand’s colors to the outside (red, white and blue), and tried to make it pop.
2. Developing a Catchy Slogan
Under the shop’s name is its slogan, “making it good under the hood,” which was created by a professional jingle writer Pheasant hired. The specific phrase comes from a jingle played in their radio ads, and Pheasant says she’s heard customers sing the song all over town. In developing the slogan, Pheasant says she wanted to avoid generic terms about honesty or service a customer can depend on. Instead, she wanted a phrase that showed off her shop’s personality.
3. Advertising the Community
With art inside the lobby, Pheasant wanted to show off the surrounding Reno community. The walls feature artist renderings of hot August nights, balloon races, and the annual Reno rodeo. One of the pieces Pheasant is most proud of, however, is a book inside the lobby with artist renderings of all 52 bridges in Reno.
4. Providing Fun Activities
The shop’s break room offers a pool table and shuffleboard table for both customers and staff members, to play and get competitive. Customers don’t always play the games, but they do occasionally square up a pool cue, or slide the shuffleboards around while waiting for their cars. Either way, Pheasant says some customers come to her shop exclusively for the chance to use these tables. Every day, the staff eats their lunches together in the shop’s restructured break room, and watches the daily news. According to Pheasant, they do this to bond, and keep up with what’s going on in the community.
SHOP STATS: A Master Mechanic Location: A Master Mechanic Operator: Jeff and Shari Pheasant Average Monthly Car Count: 180 Staff Size: 9 Shop Size: 7,500 square feet (shop), 1,500 square feet (warehouse), 500 square feet (office & customer waiting area) Annual Revenue: $1.62 million
