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The Main Street Garage: building a dream

A shop owner driven to succeed

Toby Cossette, co-owner of The Main Street Garage

Tin St. Augustine, Fla., obtained an associate of arts degree from North Dakota State College of Science. However, he followed his passion and served as a master technician for import and exotic import diagnostics and repairs at Sports Car Engineering. For one year he was a full-time Formula Continental sports car road racing driver and service tech. He also worked for many years as a master tech for GM, Mazda and Chevy dealerships. In his own words, he explains his journey to shop ownership. “Within St. Augustine, U.S. 1 is named Ponce De Leon Blvd. after the Spanish explorer who explored A relatively small shop in terms of square footage, business has been increasing at a brisk pace as the shop’s reputation expands.

and named this new land ‘la Florida,’ which is now level and variety of vehicles we service. We work on our state name. We are located less than two miles everything including, but certainly not limited to, from what he claimed was a ‘Fountain of Youth.’ Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Porsche, This site, along with the existence of the oldest standJeep, Ford, Honda and Land Rover. ing school building in the U.S., which is located in “I am one of the few who still works on all the downtown Old St. Augustine, attracts thousands of classics and custom-built vehicles such as a 1949 visitors yearly and many must drive right past our Desoto, a 1973 Charger, 1932 and 1925 Rat Rods. business. This provides us with ongoing expoWe have the knowledge and equipment to sure and helps draw business from those touraddress every module on the new vehicles ists who break down while visiting. but still rebuild carburetors and distributors

“I opened the shop, on my own, in 2010. on the old vehicles, such as 6-volt systems, Back then I was service technician, recep12-volt systems, and positive ground systionist, accountant, clerk and cashier. Fortutems. Yes, we do! nately, the business has steadily grown, and “Gross profit is only running about we now have three full-time employees. $1,223 per month due to extensive purchas

“In mid-2015, an opportunity arose for Toby Cossette ing of new equipment and tools. However, me to purchase the property. Unfortunately, that figure is steadily climbing every single I was not in a financial position to purchase this week. Our average expenditure on tools and equipprime location. It was then that my father, LeRoy ment over the last two years has been about $12,000 Cossette, and his wife, Lynn Adams, stepped in each year. with the needed finances and we formed our part“We are very thorough on our diagnostics and nership. I knew then that this repair shop was here guarantee, to our customers, that ‘if we diagnose an to stay. issue and perform the necessary repairs based on

“I am ASE Master Certified with L1 advanced that diagnosis, should it subsequently not repair the certification. I also am GM Master Certified and issue presented, the customer will not be charged a Mazda Certified. The other certifications with othdime for that repair!’ We never replace parts based er manufacturers are not worth mentioning since on a fault code! they carry no weight. I will not hire any tech with“I absolutely love what I do and could never out at least 10 years full-time experience due to the imagine doing anything else. Unfortunately, far too 28

many technicians and repair shops are stereotyped as untrustworthy, and all because they only see the dollar signs, not the individual(s) with vehicle problems. I know that it is possible to do the job correctly and make a good living doing so, without resorting to unscrupulous tactics. I am frustrated when I hear about a shop replacing parts solely based on a fault code, and then when it doesn’t repair the fault, they falsely advise the customer ‘the computer told me to replace that part, so you obviously now have another problem.’

“That is why so many customers, to this day, ask repair shops to plug their vehicles into ‘the machine’ believing that it will tell them exactly what is wrong.

“As an individual who spent years as a single father, just when I had left the dealerships and starting my own business, I learned how critical the family vehicle is to the well-being of the family and truly understand the urgencies and time constraints on a family with a disabled vehicle. I will work with them to make the experience at our shop as painless and quick as possible.

“I know many of my customers expect nothing less than perfection, and although I recognize that perfection is not humanly possible, I do strive to attain that level of service by assuring that: a. The level and quality of service will be equal to or better than any other repair shop; b. I will stand behind the work we perform and the products we sell. I guarantee, to them, that our work will be satisfactory, or we will do whatever is necessary to address any issue of concern.”

Does your shop offer general automotive repair or do you tend to specialize in specific makes or types of repairs?

We service any make/model, and any issue or concern, from engine rebuilds to drivability concerns.

What is your business philosophy?

Our primary goal is to do whatever is necessary to satisfy the customer.

Where do you buy your parts?

Advance Auto, unless a dealer part is required.

What is your approach to technician training?

I strongly and actively encourage our technicians to challenge themselves and seek advanced

THE MAIN STREET GARAGE ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

Owners .......................... Toby Cossette, LeRoy Cossette Business founded .....................................................2010 Number of bays...2 inside bays, 1 outside bay with hoist, 2 dead bays (no hoists) Number of certified technicians ................1 ASE Master Certified w/L1, GM Master Certified, Mazda certified; 1 Ford certified Shop size. .................2,000 square feet plus outdoor lift Number of vehicles serviced per month ....32 (average) Hourly labor rate .......................................................$100 Average job ticket price........................................... $375 Gross profit................................................................ 16% Average spent on tools & equipment annually ..$12,000 Vehicle makes serviced....... domestic, foreign, vintage, custom

training and certification. I personally provide training to them and suggest online courses that I know will benefit them and hasten their certification. I also pay for any ASE testing that they choose to take.

Parts purchases: What influences your parts buying decisions? Rank from 0 to 3, with 0 having no influence and 3 having the greatest influence.

Price.......................................................2

Brand recognition..............................0

Perceived quality................................3

Availability/time.................................2

We only choose parts that I would install in my own family’s vehicles. Customers are fully informed regarding parts needs, purchase options and recommended option with explanation of why we suggest a specific option.

What influences your parts buying decisions?

Safety, reliability and cost to the customer.

How does ASP benefit your business?

My father and partner, LeRoy, keeps up with published articles that relate to our business, which includes ASP at the top of the list. When information of value is found, he shares that with me and our staff. Information obtained through ASP helps us understand what is going on in the industry and presents new technology, which helps us better serve our customers.