From left, Brad Marcoobian and Ray Krause III have opened The Garage DIY Auto Repair in Clovis. Photo by Bridget Butler-Sullivan

In light of the rapidly growing trend that is do-it-yourself, Brad Marsoobian and Ray Krause III have welcomed DIY to the Valley in a whole new way. On July 1st, the duo opened Clovis’ first-ever DIY auto shop: The Garage.

“People want to be able to do these repairs themselves. Most of the time it’s just that they either don’t have the tools to complete the work at home, or they don’t know how to. So, we created a place where you can do your own thing, or have us help out,” Marsoobian said.

Customers have three different options to service their cars at The Garage. The first is for those looking to fully utilize the do-it-yourself mantra and complete all work themselves. The second option is for those wanting to work on the vehicle, but still require some assistance by staff. Lastly, customers can use the traditional method and have any of the three staff mechanics handle the repair.

Beginning in January 2018, The Garage owners plan to start offering a series of classes on the basics of auto repair. Each class will teach regular maintenance required for cars, and will also educate students on regulations for proper disposal of used motor oil, Marsoobian said.

The Garage is 7,200 square feet and has a total of 14 lifts. It is located south of Herndon Avenue at 177 N. Sunnyside Ave., suite 100, at the site of a recently relocated auto shop. The idea for the business came about while they were searching for storage space to hold a few cars Krause was in the process of repairing. They happened upon the building and — pun intended — “That’s when things started switching gears,” Krause said.

This is the first business venture the pair has embarked on together. However, business ownership is not a new concept to the duo. Marsoobian is the owner of Superior ATM Services and Superior Appliance. As Marsoobian puts it, he knows the business side of The Garage, and Krause knows the auto side.

The Garage will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday at 10 a.m. that will include a taco truck and raffle giveaways. If the majority of people who have shown interest in the shop attend, there will be 400-500 people there, Marsoobian predicted. Shortly after, the shop will be complete with smog equipment, meaning people can service their cars in nearly every way.

“We are all for finding what people need and accommodating. We are willing to stay past hours. We can accommodate anyone, and our staff is having a blast,” Marsoobian said.

People have expressed great interest in the do-it-yourself concept — even fellow mechanics. “They often go home when the day is over and want to work on their car, or a family member’s, but simply don’t have a location to do so,” Marsoobian said. To ensure their client base is being reached to the full, The Garage will be airing a commercial on KAIL channel 53 in the coming months.

Before opening, the two were expecting most of their client base to be owners of older, remodeled cars. However, there has yet to be a pattern to what vehicles either their mechanics or customers operate on. “We were expecting people to work on their ‘68 Mustangs like one of our first customers. Then all of a sudden we have a guy wanting to fix the rims on his Audi a4,” Marsoobian said.

The Garage offers a variety of discounts, all available online. These deals include anything from a free inspection to a $10 off DIY coupon. The shop is open Monday-Friday, three hours past the traditional 5 p.m. closing time, as well as during nontraditional hours on Saturday and Sunday. Additional information can be found at the website, thegaragediy.com.

“This is as new to us as it is to anyone else in Clovis. So, we really want those curious people to show up. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time before it all becomes a lot more fun,” Marsoobian said.