Luscious Garage: A New Kind of Shop

Posted 2/10/2011
By Levy Joffrion

A young woman who traveled an unconventional path to working in auto repair is bringing a whole new way of thinking to the industry. "Too many consumers believe getting your car fixed has to be a crummy experience," says Carolyn Coquillette. "Why not have a place that's green and tech-savvy, designed for people, not just for cars?"

And she built just such a shop, in downtown San Francisco.

Many aspects are unique - from the name (Luscious Garage) to the fact that it specializes in hybrids. It's a breath of fresh air in every sense: spotless surfaces, leafy green plants, sunshine pouring through skylights, artwork on the walls, and green.

But what else would you expect from a savvy 32-year-old entrepreneur who traveled an unconventional path to auto repair?

Carolyn graduated from the University of Michigan in 2000 with a degree in physics and English.

"I didn't know a thing about cars," she says. "Shortly after graduation, my car's dome light wouldn't turn off, and I was helpless.

"So I signed up for night classes in auto repair, for fun mostly and to learn basic skills.

"During the day, I continued a path already started. I was going to save Detroit, help people out of poverty. Alas, a summer internship with a youth program went nowhere."

Carolyn next tried teaching. That didn't work, so she looked for an engineering job, but quickly realized there was more to engineering than physics, and she didn't have any job experience.

"One of my automotive instructors owned a repair shop and was looking for a porter, a minimum-wage peon to mop the floor and pick up parts," says Carolyn.

"Accepting this job fully alienated me from my white-collar friends and family, who were in shock. I had gone rogue into an industry where things were dirty and seemingly without future.

"In retrospect, it was the best decision I ever made."

Four months later, she was hired at a local service station. "I was one of two technicians on duty," says Carolyn. "I performed repairs, ordered parts, talked to the customers, and sold the work. I got to know the business top to bottom and fell in love with it."

She developed an interest in hybrids, which were just coming out.

After two years, the pursuit of hybrids and better weather took her to San Francisco. There she worked in two shops, got to know several more, and cultivated a community of like-minded colleagues. "I pursued training specific to hybrids to the point that I felt I could specialize," says Carolyn. "I had the skills to figure out what was wrong but I didn't need to know the failures in advance, because the cars were so new."

She opened her own shop in San Francisco in 2007 and, in May of 2010, moved to the firm's present location at 475 9th Street.

"Luscious Garage is unlike any other place on the planet," says Carolyn. "It returns pleasure to automotive service but in a new way, emphasizing the needs of the user, the driver, not just those of the machine.

"Sure, we specialize in hybrids, but specializing in a particular kind of car isn't a big deal; there are all kinds of specialty shops. When we talk about hybrids, we're not just talking about something new or high tech. All new cars are high tech.

"Hybrids are different because they entail a new kind of customer; people who are computer savvy, embrace new technology and want to talk about how their car works, how it's different. They are also very concerned with the environment."

She saw trends, says Carolyn, "in consumers; in the Internet; and in being green, the environmental mandate."

Seeing these priorities for hybrid customers, she created Luscious Garage to signal that it had the same priorities: the shop is designed to be inviting, to be a place where customers feel they belong. Luscious Garage is pleasing to the eye, not dirty or crowded with automotive hodgepodge. Besides performing service and repair, the shop shares its know-how on its website and by taking time to talk with people in person, encouraging their feedback and questions. "It's a place for human beings, not just cars," says the owner.

What's ahead for Luscious Garage? "To keep evolving, just like automotive technology," says Carolyn.

She recently added a second shift just to service hybrid taxis. The city of San Francisco requires that all newly registered taxis be "alternative fueled," so the transition is almost entirely to hybrids.

Long term, she'd like to open another location in the Los Angeles area.

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