Byron Hunkle, left, and Craig Schwinghammer of Honest-1 Auto Care–Hamline-Hoyt. Park Bugle photo by Roger Bergerson
After more than 70 years of Horazdovsky ownership, Falcon Heights’ only auto repair shop has been sold and is now Honest-1 Auto Care–Hamline-Hoyt.
“It was time to pass the baton,” said Steve Horazdovsky, the last family member to be associated with Hamline-Hoyt Service, 1565 Hamline Ave. N., a business that his father and uncle started in 1942. “I’m retiring with lots of memories of both great times and hard times.”
Honest-1 Auto Care is a national chain, and Peter Lee, the new owner, already operates a franchise at 3114 Lexington Ave. N., Roseville. He has some major upgrades planned for the Falcon Heights operation.
For example, Lee has permission from the city to extend the building 10 feet south toward Hoyt Avenue, which will make it possible to enlarge one service bay and install a new alignment machine. But the main purpose of the expansion is to create a customer lobby with free Wi-Fi, coffee, snacks, a children’s play area and new bathrooms. The remodeling will start soon and take six to eight weeks.
During that time, the shop will be closed and Byron Hunkle and Craig Schwinghammer, the new manager and assistant manager, respectively, will temporarily relocate to the Roseville location.
The new Honest-1 Auto Care will be open longer hours than Hamline-Hoyt Service: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Lee said the shop will offer a three-year, 36,000-mile nationwide warranty on most repairs, free shuttle rides and loaner vehicles on an as-needed basis.
What made him want to be a part of Honest-1 Auto Care?
“I’ve had my share of less-than-stellar experiences with auto repair shops,” Lee said. “I was looking to own a business that stood apart from the others, something I could put my name behind. Honest-1 Auto Care’s philosophy is to be very upfront with customers on their vehicle needs.
“If there’s a safety issue, we’re going to encourage them to deal with it, but otherwise, armed with the necessary information, we want customers to make up their own minds about whether or not to make a repair.
“Steve has had much the same philosophy and an extremely loyal customer base. We will work to earn that same respect and trust,” Lee said.
