After 40 years at Auto Pro in Kyabram, owners Greg and Maureen Walsh are ready for retirement.
Mr and Mrs Walsh are set to sell up, having been working seven-day weeks since buying out Mr Walsh’s late father, Albert Walsh, in 2008.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support of the locals in Kyabram and surrounding areas,” Mr Walsh said.
At various times, Mr Walsh has worked in the store with his father, wife, children and grandkids.
Auto Pro has been a one-stop shop for many locals when looking for anything they need for their car, whether a part or cleaning products.
“We have expanded at least eight times since Greg and Albert (Mr Walsh’s grandfather) first opened the doors down the other end of Allan St in 1984,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr and Mrs Walsh said they would miss members of the Auto Pro community and the support they provided.
“It’s like a big happy family,” Mrs Walsh said. “We will miss the customers and the franchise.”
Mr and Mrs Walsh said they believed that when you worked for something you owned, you put more into it, which became a great way to get to know the people in the community.
“We are really proud of everything we have accomplished,” Mrs Walsh said.
“My father worked here till he was 78; he sometimes offered his services so we could go on holiday,” Mr Walsh said.
“We know that many people don’t know what their car is, but we always try to help them find the right part they are looking for,” Mrs Walsh said.
The Walshes remember the business’s first home as being so cramped that some locals couldn’t get their wheelchairs through the door.
After opening where Workwear Connect is currently, the business moved to what is the current location of Fairside Tech Repairs in 2000. Auto Pro then found another new home, at 237 Allan St, in 2014, where it has stayed ever since.
“This town and the locals have supported us and helped us grow into what we are now,” Mrs Walsh said.
“We will always be grateful to them and what they have done for us.”