Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Cooper.
Hi Jake, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on a small farm working on tractors, equipment, four-wheelers, etc., with my dad. My grandfather on my mom’s side started our family garage, Fisher’s Garage in Greenville, SC, in 1963. Fisher’s went on to be run by my uncle and now by my older brother. So I am the third generation in this business in my family. After working at Fisher’s for 9 years as a technician, my wife and I decided to open our own shop. We first rented a shop in 2015 from a friend of ours in Whitmire, SC where we “got our feet wet” and learned a lot. We met many wonderful people there that encouraged us, and we quickly realized that we made the right decision to open our own business. The next year we were able to move into our current Main Street location in Laurens, SC and then just last year, we opened our second location on Harper Street in Laurens. We are so thankful for our customers and have been so blessed by them!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, starting any business is not all smooth sailing. I had been married to my wife for 4 years when we started out, and our little girl was 1. So being a young family and starting something new was a little stressful, but getting to spend every day with my wife and daughter there with me was a definite perk. It took a few months to find our footing and really get going. After that, we dove in head first to take our plan and move forward with it. We knew we wanted to be a true old-school family business and raise our daughter in the business and do this together. We knew we wanted to keep God first in our business. We knew that we wanted to offer a quality service to all of our customers.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One thing that sets us apart is we work on almost anything! We provide major and minor repairs for all automobiles and trucks. We offer both service and repair work for gas and diesel models. We offer tire services and routine maintenance. We do fleet service, maintenance, and repairs. We work on equipment. We perform alignments. Basically, we work on anything!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Laurens was home for my wife, and shortly after moving here, I felt at home. The people here have been so amazing and supportive over the years. We have many customers and employees that are like family. I don’t really have anything negative to say about our city besides the fact that some people view Laurens in a negative light. We are a growing city and with growth comes issues and change. The change we have seen in Laurens over the last 5 years has been huge and I forsee even bigger growth in the future!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @riversidegarage
- Facebook: Riverside Garage and Tire Inc.
Image Credits
Hannah Gaines Photography (Family Pic)
