CARIBOU, Maine — One of Caribou’s longtime businesses will mark the end of an era on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Pat’s Automotive Center owners Wayne and Mary Lee Belanger announced on Facebook in mid-September that they are closing the business, which has been a staple on Main Street for 64 years.
In the last two to three years, the Belangers have seen fewer and fewer qualified auto repair technicians apply for jobs. Within that time, the shop went from having five employees, not including Wayne and Mary Lee and their son Scott, to just the family.
Though Scott was willing to take over the business, doing so would have been impossible without help, Mary Lee said Thursday.
“It’s sad. The younger generation is not getting into the work like they used to,” Mary Lee said. “We’re always busy, but Scott can’t do it alone.”
Pat’s closure is an example of Aroostook’s County’s struggle to attract and retain young workers, which was the subject of a forum in Presque Isle last year.
The shop came to town in 1960 when Patrick Belanger and business partner Alban Thibodeau started Al and Pat’s Sunoco at 669 Main St., where it has remained throughout three generations.
Patrick’s son Wayne took over in 1985 and has since operated the business as Pat’s Automotive with Mary Lee and Scott. The family prided themselves on keeping up with advances in automotive technology and expanding the shop’s capabilities. They did so by adding three new doors and offering automotive diagnostics.
The changes in technology mean that nowadays the shop needs workers who are fully qualified and trained, Mary Lee said.
“When we started, you used to change the exhaust, oil and tires, but now you also have diagnostics and electronics. Newer vehicles have many gadgets on them,” Mary Lee said.
Last fall, the Belangers put the shop on the market but have not yet found a new owner to take over. The shop is listed at $289,900, according to Aroostook Real Estate.
The family plans to keep the shop listed in hopes of finding the right person to sustain what they’ve built.
“Someone whose priority is to take care of customers first. The most important thing is to be honest and treat them fairly,” Mary Lee said. “Based on the feedback we’ve received [since announcing the closure], that’s what people liked. They trust us.”
