My Hometown Business 60 Years as a Family Business

Howard Road Garage has serviced the auto community since 1963

by Barbara Burke

In 1963, Nick Sobolew was work ing at Judge’s Ford on Lake Avenue, in Rochester. Sobolew’s co-worker and friend at Judge’s, Pete VanDerhoeven, asked him if he wanted to invest with him in an auto repair business that he found for sale. In 1963 they went into business together and opened Howard Road Garage, located at 51 Howard Road, in Gates.

Initially, the majority of Howard Road Garage’s business came from local auto dealerships, installing air conditioning and cruise control systems in new au tomobiles. In the 1960s new cars did not come into dealerships equipped with AC and Cruise Control, they were optional features that car buyers could select at time of purchase. Installing so many units for dealerships helped Howard Road Garage to become known, area-wide, as an air condition ing specialist.

In the 1980s Nick Sobolew bought out his partner Pete, and in the late 1990s Nick retired from the business, passing it on to his son Anatol “Ski” and daughter-in-law Sharon Sobolew, who are the current owners. Today Ski and Sharon’s three sons, Josh, Justin and Jordan, all work together in the family business.

“My husband Ski grew up as a me chanic working here at the garage. When my father-in-law retired in the late 1990s, Ski need help and asked me to come in and manage the busi ness. Currently I am the secretary, re ceptionist and business manager and I love every minute of my job,” Sharon Sobolew said.

The business slogan at Howard Road Garage is, “Doing Business The Old Fashioned Way.” Customer Service is the number one priority. “Customer loyalty is huge for us. Our customers keep coming back. We also have a lot of referrals, friends of friends and family members of long time customers. We have one customer, Dan, who has been coming to us since 1964. He will stop in just for a visit and to sit around and talk,” Sharon said.

There are lots of customers who stop in, not only for car ser vice, they come to socialize, sitting around the large table in the waiting room, sharing stories and news. “We all share in each other’s laughter and tears. I love being here. Every day I learn continued on page 8