Where To Go On The Go

Starting on Route 7 South and coming into North Canaan you’ll encounter Picante’s, Crane’s Power Equipment, and the Caddie Shack. As we cross the train tracks and pass the first few buildings of North Canaan we come across Northwest Auto on the left. A large garage directly on the side of the road I’d say impossible to miss. As a town that has always had at least two auto repair shops, NW Auto came to North Canaan as the third. Recently, Arnold’s Garage, which had long been a staple of North Canaan, decided to close its auto repair business. Northwest Auto stepped up to fill their shoes. Arnold’s used to be the only place around to do an emissions test, which many in town fear we’d have to travel to get that done. Thankfully, NW Auto got all its certifications done and is now clear to do emissions testing. I talked with Charles Boros, the lead mechanic about their business and new emissions testing. I had asked if they noticed a difference in work since Arnold’s had closed up shop. He said, “Certainly an uptick in business. Unfortunately, it comes on the back of another place closing but we’re more than prepared for it.” I also inquired about how they have been settling into town and if they had felt welcomed by the community, to that he said, “It took some time to start building a strong client base, but now we have regulars that come in and trust us to get their repairs done quickly and so we don’t see them again anytime soon.” When they first opened up they were also an automobile sales place but have since rolled that back.

Auto sales is a difficult industry and the market is always fluctuating, which is particularly difficult to keep up with, especially in a small market where the demand isn’t as great. On the topic of no longer selling cars, Boros said, “Due to the volatility of the market we’re not comfortable putting a car on the lot that could be overpriced just because the market dictates.” This means that the market for used cars is on the upswing so cars are going for more than they should be worth. So with that in mind, the folks at NW Auto decided it would be better if they were faithful to their customers instead of trying to maximize their earnings. That being said, they are not unwilling to bring this aspect of their business back, but they would just need the right conditions, and the market to come to a little bit of a balance.