45 years on the corner of 44th and Teller

1. Before 1980

   Learning out of necessity

   Gary found his way into auto repair because he had to. When his first car broke down, his father told him: “If you can’t afford to get it fixed and you don’t know how to fix it, then you shouldn’t own a car.” So Gary learned, and went on to work at several auto shops, where he was disappointed by the dishonesty he saw.

2. 1980

   A “For Rent” sign and a signed lease

   Gary Bryan spotted a “For Rent” sign on an old gas station at 44th and Teller in Wheat Ridge. He called the number and signed a lease. He was on his own, with no employees and almost no savings.

3. 1980

   A Triumph TR6 and a loaner car

   That same year Gary met Mimi, whose Triumph TR6 wouldn’t stop breaking down. He worked on it and lent her a loaner car, which, as she remembers, most shops didn’t do back then. They stayed friends for years, became partners and married about a year before the shop’s 45th anniversary.

4. The early years

   Long hours in a two-bay station

   Gary worked long hours in the run-down, two-bay former gas station, slowly building a customer base through word of mouth rather than advertising. “I starved for a lot of years,” he told the Neighborhood Gazette. “It was just me, so I toughed it out.”

5. Every year since

   Only the work your car needs

   Instead of running every car through a checklist, the shop addresses the individual repairs a car actually needs. In Gary’s words to the Neighborhood Gazette:

   “We’re busy enough, we don’t need to do work that doesn’t need to be done.”

6. Beyond the garage

   House calls and small favors

   For some older customers, Gary has become a lifeline: he makes house calls when they can’t get to the shop, helps with things like expired registrations, and once installed a battery maintainer free of charge for a customer whose battery kept draining. As Mimi puts it:

   “He goes above and beyond to make sure that people are okay. That’s just who he is.”

7. July 17, 2025

   45 years in business

   Wheat Ridge Auto Service marked 45 years of keeping cars running in the Wheat Ridge community, still under its founder, still booking by phone.

Why he still does it

For Gary, the satisfaction is in solving problems. When a car comes in that won’t start, and he works on it until it starts and runs, that is the gratifying part. In his words:

“That’s what makes me happy – when I make the customer happy.”

Sources

• Wheat Ridge Auto Service Marks 45 Years, Provides Summer Heat Tips - Neighborhood Gazette, Daniel Greeson
• Getting Your Car Ready for Summer: Expert Advice from Wheat Ridge Auto - Neighborhood Gazette, Zoe Jennings
• Winterizing Your Ride: Tips from a Local Mechanic - Neighborhood Gazette, Daniel Greeson
• Navigating Timing Belts, Used Cars: Tips From a Local Mechanic - Neighborhood Gazette, Zoe Jennings