SHOP STATS: Benedetti Tire Service & Express Lube Location: Sebastopol, Calif. Operator: Mark Reece Average Car Count: 40 Staff Size: 10 Shop Size: 2 bays Annual Revenue: $75
A New Image
After building an eight-bay tire center in Sebastopol, Calif., in 1994, Owner Mark Reece and his family wanted to dedicate a whole new location just to oil changes, freeing up two bays in the tire center. And in doing so, they were able to provide their customers with a one-stop shop for tires and quick lube services.
“Everything kind of feeds into one another and allows us to maximize those businesses,” Reece says.
In 2008, they switched from their original brand, Penns Oil, to a Mobil 1 center, mainly out of force. Reece says the family was scared they would lose their customer base of 15 years; they didn’t know what to expect. Turns out, rebranding into a Mobil 1 shop paid off and actually increased business with the help of the brand’s synthetic oil changes.
Farmhouse Feel
First impressions are everything. When you drive into the town of Sebastopol, Calif., the first thing you’ll come across is Benedetti’s, and Reece wanted the shop to catch drivers’ eyes. The structure looks to be out of an industrial farmhouse, complete with a gothic-style farmhouse look, a blue, tin roof and tin siding, and a loft window-like structure on the top of the roof. A rooster roof-mounted weathervane on top and a tractor out front are all this location needs to be mistaken for the real thing.
Accommodations
When you walk into Benedetti’s, customers have to think twice on if they just entered a dealership or a quick lube shop. Clean, comfortable seating, free coffee and water, a charging station for your phone, and free Wi-Fi to top it off. There’s even patio seating off to the side for customers to get some fresh air and (maybe) catch a little tan.