It’s not often, perhaps even rare, these days that a technician sets off on their own to open their own shop.
But that’s the plunge Rui Silvestre has taken, opening My Neighbourhood Mechanic in Toronto’s west end.
The 2017 Canadian Technician of the Year from CARS magazine was the lead tech at Master Mechanic High Park, the 2021 Shop of the Year. But after the shop was forced to close, Silvestre set out to be on his own, rather than work for another shop.
It was important for him to stay in the community — after years of searching, he found a location just a couple of kilometres north of his old shop. And he was able to bring the entire team from his previous shop to his new one.
But things are different. He went from working at a location that was highly visible at the corner of Dundas St. West and Howard Park Ave, just north of Roncesvalles to being smack dab in the middle of a residential area at the top end of the West Toronto Railpath.
He opened the doors on August 1 and took some time to chat in this episode of Auto Service World Conversations. Silvestre talks about his journey to being a shop owner, the changes he’s faced, how he’s staying connected with the community and how he’s looking to grow both his shop and the profession.
“It’s not as mainstream as we once were before, but I don’t think it matters,” Silvestre said of once being at a major intersection to now being in the middle of a neighbourhood. “The whole focus is community. So why not right in the middle of one? To us, that’s perfect. It’s right where we want to be.”
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