01945 Fall 2021

30 | 01945
Mike and Greg Quillen
own and operate
Bartlett's Garage
–– one of the oldest
family businesses
in the area –– servicing cars for more
than 100 years. Opened in 1913 by their
grandfather, the duo have spent their entire
lives at the shop and in the neighborhood
surrounding it on Stacey Street.
Mike said a town historian told him
years ago that Bartlett's Garage is the
oldest independent, operational auto-repair
business in the country.
Mike added that he and his brother
used to spend a lot of their time in the
shop as children, helping out their father,
who owned it after their grandfather.
They recalled memories of them
running around the shop, playing in the
cars, helping their dad out, and racing toy
race cars around the garage.
One of Mike's earliest memories of
the shop was when he and his best friend
were in the back of his grandfather's truck,
throwing around what they thought was
water, but turned out to be battery acid.
"I can always remember that," Mike
said. "Fortunately we didn't get any in our
eyes. I can't remember whether we got in
trouble or not, but I always remember that
part."
Back when they used to provide
inspection stickers, Greg said he
remembered a car once drove right
through the building. He added that
he had many interesting stories and
experiences like this over the years.
The brothers recalled that in their
youth, the phone for the garage would
constantly ring at their house.
"This is like our second home," Mike
said. "My dad would run out to the garage
when we would get a call, so it was in our
lives every day."
Mike said he didn't originally think
he would take over the business with his
brother, and that he would only work there
temporarily. After a few years, he realized
it was destined for him.
Their specialty is servicing mostly
American and Japanese cars, but they
will work on any model and make that a
customer brings in.
The pair said they have worked on too
many cars to count, serving some loyal
customers for over 20 years.
One of the most rewarding parts
about being at the shop for so long, the
brothers said, is their relationships with the
customers and watching their kids grow
up.
Greg mentioned they have a few
customers who had babies when they
started servicing their cars, and now those
babies are all grown up with cars of their
own.
Greg said that after the pandemic they
saw a drop in business, as many people
were working from home and not needing
their cars.
The brothers tended to see about 15 to
20 people per day, working on cars and also
checking lights and attending to minor
issues, but that number drastically dropped
during the lockdown.
"We stay busy all the time," Greg said.
"But like every business, we saw a change
in the last year."
They saw a lack of business up until the
spring, and added that they were happy to
have more cars and customers returning.
In addition to the pandemic affecting
business, Greg said the evolution of
technology and the advancement of cars
have affected their work as well.
Many European cars nowadays have
their own software and programs, so Greg
said with the thousands of dollars needed
to purchase this kind of equipment and
software, they have to start picking and
choosing what to invest in.
In the long run, Greg said they are not
going to be there long enough to make
their money back from purchasing all of
that new equipment.
Bartlett's Garage will soon close, said owners Mike and Greg Quillen.
New pieces of equipment, including
updated air-conditioning systems, can cost
around $70,000, so getting your money's
worth for that isn't in their future.
"That's what's hurting a lot of the
smaller businesses," Greg said.
The brothers are planning on closing
the shop soon, saying it is a weird feeling
but something they feel they need to do as
they are getting older.
"Our whole lives have been here," Greg
said.
Greg said although his son used to
always come down to the shop to help and
hang out, taking over the shop is not in the
cards for him. The brothers don't want to
continue to pass the shop down because
of the lack of security regarding success
and finances. Although they know how
to operate all of the new technology that
accompanies the most recent car models,
the brothers said the costs alone are just
too much for a small, family-run business
to take on.
Although there have been technological
updates and renovations to the shop,
Mike said not much has changed since he
remembers it as a kid.
The front and back rooms are still filled
with cars, old and new.
Even after all these years, the duo
still enjoys what they do. Like every job,
there are some bad days, but overall, they
credit their customers for giving them the