AUTO MECHANIC TAKES OFF TO GO ON HIS OWN

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992                   TAG: 9201280358
SECTION: ECONOMY                    PAGE: 13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
AUTO MECHANIC TAKES OFF TO GO ON HIS OWN
Willie's Car Clinic was born last September, in a year that saw a record number of businesses fail.
With a $3,500 loan from a finance company, Willie Smith rented a building on Patterson Avenue in southwest Roanoke, printed up advertising fliers and bought a car lift and auto mechanic's tools. He got a business license and quit his job at Valley Motorsport.
"A lot of people were wondering why I'd open an auto repair business the way things are, but I had gotten tired of working for the other man," said Smith.
He also was tired of working on Saturdays, time he likes to spend with his wife, Gwen, and their children, Randi, 5, and William, 10.
On Saturday mornings when Little Willie pops in a cassette of the "Nutcracker Suite" and practices his ballet, his dad is home to tell him to turn down the volume.
"I'd been thinking about my own place since 1982," said Smith. He had the "clinic" name picked out, too.
Smith said he always planned to run his car repair business like a doctor's office, offering customers tips on preventive care and giving them follow-up calls when a vehicle checkup was due.
Smith, 39, has worked at several automotive places, including 10 years at Midas Muffler. He last was at Valley Motorsport in the quick service department.
Smith said Valley owner George Logan is one of the people he needs to thank for helping him get started. Logan sold him a car lift at a bargain price.
His attorney, Matt Broughton, is another supporter. Smith was Broughton's mechanic before becoming a client to have the business incorporated.
December was his worst month so far. The garage did about $400 worth of business.
But Smith said he and his wife are budget conscious. When he left Midas for Valley Motorsport while he planned his own business, they had to use savings to supplement income. She had her job with Dominion Bank's operations center, but he was only bringing home $123 a week.
"I'm not making a lot of money, but I don't have much overhead," Smith said. "I'm the man who greets people, checks their cars over, goes to get parts, writes up orders, test-drives the car and shakes their hands."
Smith said that when he test-drives a car it has to suit him "before it suits the customer."
Anyway, he's not despairing of lean times.
"If somebody rides by and their brakes are making a noise . . . if I'm not busy, I jump in my truck and stop them and give them my business card."
"I'm good with brakes," he said.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB