Westmount Auto: A garage for all seasons

“We do everything for cars,” says station owner David Estephan. “Detailing, body work, general mechanical; everything relating to cars, we do it. We pick up and deliver. We handle tire storage — people like the idea of tire storage, it’s getting more and more popular. We’re one-stop shopping.”

Estephan’s road to becoming owner of the gas station began at an early age. “I loved cars from day one,” he says. He studied to become a mechanic, and began working at the station in 1993. It wasn’t long before he found an opportunity there for bigger things.

“The place was up for sale,” he says, “and people were coming to see it, and eventually I was interested in purchasing it.”

Estephan arranged financing, and bought the station. “At a younger age,” he says, “you almost have nothing to lose. And it worked out.”

His clientele since taking over has included politicians, hockey players, and actors, but “the largest percentage of my customers is steady customers,” he says. Over time, some of these customers become friends. “At holiday time, they bring cookies, they give my guys gifts ... After 15 years, I know lots of people, lots of faces. I see them everywhere I go. I run into them at restaurants, at shopping centres, I see them at coffee shops. And they stop and say hello.”

The gas station is a prominent local landmark, and a long-time fixture of the area, so it’s not surprising that it should have become a part of the community. The summertime car washes are a case in point.

“Most of our summer weekends are booked ahead of time by local schools and local charitable groups,” says Estephan. “We’ve been doing it for a little while now. It’s beginning to be the same people every summer. It gives them good results.”

An eye on the environment

The station also does its part to be as environmentally friendly as possible. “We’re very environmentally aware,” Estaphan says, noting that the station recycles plastics and other wastes, and does not keep car engines idling. “Esso is very strict with that; it’s their number-one concern, and we have to respect their conditions.”

After over 15 years, Estephan has a history with the station, just as the station has a history with its customers. “I have some customers come in and ask about Mr. Dunlop, who owned the station more than 25 years ago,” he says. “Actually, what’s funny, when I first bought the station at the age of 25, people used to tell me, ‘Have your dad call us for the estimate.’ Since then ... I’ve seen the little kids going with parents in strollers, and now they’re college students.

“I grew up with a lot of my customers.”