- May 12, 2024
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Paul Barrow spent the last 24 years of his life working with Tires Plus Total Car Care. Last month, he decided to begin his own auto shop, Paul Barrow’s Auto Repair, on Sept. 1.
Barrow began working on cars in the late 1980s. His uncle, Buddy Crosby, of Crosby Automotive, taught him everything that he knows about automobiles.
“When I first started with him, I couldn’t even change a spark plug,” Barrow said. “I worked for him for five years. When I left him, there wasn’t anything that I couldn’t do on a car. I can change and even rebuild engines.”
Barrow always wanted to start his own business. Rather than following the guidelines and rules of a corporate company, he wanted to be free to make his own business decisions without having to run all his decisions by employers.
“The biggest hurdles that have come from starting my own business have been the hoops I’ve had to jump through to start my business,” he said. “There are a lot of permits and laws that you need to be aware of in order to keep your business safe.”
When Barrow left Tires Plus, he left the company on good terms.
“They told me that anytime I wanted to return, I would always have a job there,” he said. “I made a lot of friends over there, and we’ll continue to be friends going forward.”
One of Tires Plus’ employees holds a special place in Barrow’s heart, his wife, Beth Barrow. Beth Barrow is the Tires Plus store manager in Ponte Vedra. When Paul Barrow presented the business venture to Beth, she was more excited than he was.
“I get nervous when it comes to new challenges and things like that,” Paul Barrow said. “She pushed the opportunity more than I did. She was full throttle with me starting the auto shop.”
According to him, fixing vehicles is all that Paul Barrow has ever known. He says that he’s made a good living doing it, and he’s able to feed his five children. Barrow has also been able to put smiles on hundreds of customers’ faces.
“The best moments are when people come in the shop, and they already feel in their mind that their car problems will cost them thousands of dollars to replace, and I find a solution for $10,” Barrow said. “They come in nervous, almost crying because they’re afraid, and then they leave crying because their problem is fixed for a lot less than what they expected."
Barrow’s Auto Repair is located at 13 Enterprise Drive. Contact Barrow at 446-8872.
