Auto repair and gas service station are neighborhood staples
A trustworthy local mechanic is such a necessity in this car-centric city. Our neighborhood is privileged to have one at S.M.G Auto Repair, 4700 Beverly Blvd. at St. Andrews Place. This shop is continuing a tradition of service going back to at least the 1950s.
OWNER POTENSIANO and co-worker under a car.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to patronize this neighborhood establishment, check them out next time you need your car serviced or an oil change. The shop is knowledgeable, reasonable, reliable and very friendly — not to mention close by.
PROMINENT IN THE neighborhood since the 1950s, the auto repair shop still stands at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and St. Andrews Place. It now is a Chevron station.
The latest owner, Irvin Potensiano, is thrilled to own the shop and become a more permanent part of this unique area. He bought the service portion of the (now Chevron) gas station in August 2019 from his then boss Arman Mkrtchyan, who still owns the gas station. Potensiano, a mechanic at multiple stations before arriving at this shop on Beverly Boulevard, had been working there for about five years before he and his boss started talking about the possibility of Potensiano’s owning the shop. He said, “I’ve always wanted to own my own shop. When this opportunity came around, I took it. It’s been a huge blessing.”
Helping and getting to know people and their cars is what brings Potensiano joy. He helps multiple members of some families and claims he probably knows a family or two on every block between his shop and Larchmont Boulevard. As the theme song to “Cheers” says, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.”
A bonus to this auto shop is the snack store. It has a surprisingly eclectic and high-end selection of candy and snacks.
Where are you headed the next time your car needs gas or servicing?
[Full disclosure: The writer is a longtime customer of S.M.G Auto Repair.]
Category: Real Estate