Masury Auto Sales, a used car dealership, did pretty well, but Al Nassar wanted to do better.
“I’m married with kids,” he said, hoping that May’s Auto will provide him a “better living, better future.”
Nassar and his partner, Abdallah Mataryieh, moved two doors east and remodeled the building at 880 S. Irvine Avenue for a car repair shop, which they are calling May’s Auto.
Soon, they will sell cars, too, and they would like to eventually open a body shop and offer towing, Nassar said.
“Now, we’re looking to do the whole shebang, repairs and the whole nine yards,” he said.
The 1955 building that is home to May’s Auto has been many things over the years, from a gas station to a car wash to a tobacco outlet, and was showing its age. After Mataryieh bought the building for $100,000, they had to put about that much into it, including fixing the the roof, laying new floors and installing new wiring, Nassar said.
In the couple of months May’s Auto has been open, business has been “OK,” Nassar said, noting it’s hard to attract car repair customers without a track record.
“They want a spot they can be comfortable with,” he said, finding comfort in the fact that he’s been seeing new faces.
Nassar, who lives in Sharpsville and has a gas station in Farrell, said he likes the location because it’s a “main street.”
“You really can’t beat a main street,” he said.
Brookfield has a quirk that Nassar also found to his liking.
“No zoning in Brookfield helps us a lot,” he said.