MINOOKA — Auto buffs and auto mechanics that want to do some side work or start a business may find Self Serve Auto Shop in Minooka a roomy place with everything they need to do the job in a timely manner.
“Self Serve is a really clean place to work on a car,” said Brian Thompson, business analyst for the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Joliet Junior College. “It is heated too, which means a lot in mid-January.”
Besides being clean and organized, Self Serve is a rental business where customers can rent a bay with or without a lift, have access to all the tools needed to work on a car and even do welding. If necessary, customers can also rent a licensed auto mechanic. In most cases, customers can save hundreds of dollars.
“I can’t save them money for just doing an oil change,” said Jim Chronister, owner and operator of Self Serve Auto Shop, “but in a one-hour rental, a customer can rotate tires and do other maintenance, which is a lot more than they would get at the Jiffy Lube for $19.95.”
Customers can rent a service bay by the hour, half-day, full day, or even by the week. Most tools are included in the rental, but specialized equipment can be rented separately and customers can order parts at a discount. Chronister is also planning to run some short seminars for anyone who wants to learn how to perform simple maintenance on their cars. People can keep up with future events by visiting the Self Serve Auto Shop website at www.selfserveautoshop.com.
Chronister, a U.S. Army veteran, got the idea for this business from his days in the military.
“Most military bases have an auto craft shop where you can use a bay for free,” he said. “I think every person that runs one of these types of businesses is a vet.”
Chronister offers a 10 percent discount to veterans.
“This service is new and just beginning to catch on,” said Thompson. “There are only a handful of similar services around the country right now, but it has great potential not only for auto buffs, but for professional auto mechanics who want to do some side work or start their own businesses.”
Financing for Self Serve Auto Shop came from Illinois Ventures for Community Action (IVCA), a state agency that offers business loans at interest rates lower than traditional bank financing.
When paid, the interest is filtered through local community action agencies which provide programs to help low income people in Illinois. Borrowers are for-profit companies who meet their criteria for funding as well as a financial screening.
Thompson met with Chronister a number of times to help him develop his business plan — a 34-page document that resulted in getting Self Serve Auto Shop the initial cash it needed to open on June 15.
"They (IVCA) told me I had sent in one of the best business plans they had ever seen," said Chronister.
"Jim wrote the plan himself, I just gave him some suggestions on what to include so potential lenders would have their questions answered," said Thompson. "He did a great job putting it all together."
“I recommend sending anyone to the Illinois SBDC before applying for a loan,” said Chronister, who believes Thompson’s help was critical to getting his business off to a solid start.