With the turn of a key, Ash Auto will become Chuck's Auto Repair Shop

Chuck's Auto Repair Shop will be the new name in town starting January 3.

It's been a long-time dream of Chuck DuRussel to own his own auto repair facility. And, starting January 3, his dream will start to come true.

"It's been a long time coming," Chuck says with a laugh. "I've been working in auto repair, mostly in Manchester, for the past 25 years. I kicked around the idea about 15 years ago, of buying my uncle's shop near Jackson. But the kids were young, we were busy, and we needed to be back in Manchester. So, I came back here to work 13 years ago and I haven't looked back."

Even so, the dream never left him. He started out working as a mechanic at Tirb Chevrolet 25 years ago, under Bob Luckhardt's tutelage. He worked at Manchester Collision for a while, then took a couple of years with his uncle in Jackson. He's been at Wolf's Westside Automotive for the past 13 years and was happy there, but Pete Wolf wasn't ready to sell his business.

But Tom Ash was. So, ultimately, Chuck made his move. He's been working along side Tom for about six weeks and as of the first of the year, it will be his own business. And he couldn't be happier.

"There's plenty of (automotive) work in our town," he says. "I don't look at it as competing with Pete; there's only so much pie so your piece is only going to be so big. It was a tough decision for me to make the move. Pete has been cool about it and I'm grateful for all he's done — it's got me to where I am now."

Born and raised in Manchester, Chuck wouldn't want to be anywhere else. "I like the people and I like the town," he says. "I know the people and I know the cars. And when you come to me, you'll know what you're getting."

His business philosophy is simple. He wants to take care of his neighbors ... right down to the little stuff. "It's the little things that count sometimes," he says. "I like to think about as, 'Would I do this for my grandmother?' 'Would I do this if it was my kid driving the car?' It's a tough business, but my goal is to educate people. I know that sometimes getting your car fixed is an expensive proposition. I want to educate the customers and let them know what's involved, what's at stake, with this repair. Then they can make their own informed choice, after I've explained it to them."

Right now, Chuck will continue working on the service side, and doing the front office work besides. John is staying on and eventually Chuck hopes to be bringing in another service man. "Myself, I'll be hitting the ground running," he admits. "It's not going to be easy the first few months. But I think I've made the right choice for myself and my family."

What would he say to the community, given a chance? "Come on in, and give me a chance," he says with a grin. "I think you'll be happy with what you get."

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.