Hank’s Auto Repair, the ‘neighborhood garage’ of 39th Street, will close after 67 years | KCUR 89.3

Hank’s Auto Maintenance is closing right after virtually 70 a long time in business enterprise. The relatives-owned motor vehicle shop has been a mainstay for Westport and Kansas City motorists considering that it opened in 1955.

Their previous working day of services will be Monday, Jan. 31.

The unique proprietor, Hank Mattucks, 1st started out operating Hank’s Auto Fix on Broadway Boulevard, ahead of moving to Westport Highway and then to the present-day location on 39th Avenue in the early ’70s.

It was listed here that Jeff Mattucks claimed he learned to function on vehicles though nonetheless in college, below the direction of his father. Mattucks stated they’ve persisted through adjustments in automobiles and know-how — but some points have remained the same.

“(We) consider to deal with every person good, and do not sell them a bunch of stuff they will not really need to have,” Mattucks stated. “That’s the way I was taught expanding up.”

Mattucks is now the proprietor and the principal mechanic of Hank’s, and has savored currently being component of the Westport neighborhood around the decades.

“We’re the community garage, we’re sorta old style,” he says.

Mattucks states Hank’s has by no means required advertisements about the many years, thriving strictly on phrase of mouth — no tiny feat for an unbiased company.

But Mattucks suggests that the past couple of many years, he’s felt overworked and burned out, and the store has struggled to discover and continue to keep staff members. A short while ago, he’s been working comprehensive-time, occasionally 12-hour times, with just a person component-time mechanic. That means he’s gone months devoid of a working day off.

Mattucks bought the company to KC Autoworx, one more nearby provider shop positioned on Southwest Boulevard. KC Autoworx ideas to get over the 39th Avenue area as its 2nd place right after some renovations.

At the time the sale is full, Mattucks mentioned he “plans to acquire time off for a though.” Sooner or later, he hopes to uncover a placement that is much less demanding, with extra traditional several hours to maintain a greater operate-lifetime harmony.

“I’ll overlook a good deal of the clients and the neighborhood,” Mattucks reported. “All the yrs executing this, you get attached to some of them, but this is superior for me.”