Joe Baber has found a unique solution to a problem affecting recent college grads nationwide. Just three months after graduating from UVA, he has opened his own business. Following his lifelong dream, he decided to become—that most manual of manual jobs—an auto mechanic.
“I figured that the part of going to college would help flesh out what my future held for me,” he says with a smile. “And it did, in a different way.”
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Joe Baber, a recent UVA grad, decided to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an auto garage. He took an old and unremarkable bulding on Meade Avenue and transformed it into Peacock Auto Service. |
More than that, the politics major took the shell of an old Meade Avenue building from 1935 and found himself acting both as a designer and renovator. With a coat of vibrant “peacock blue” paint, Baber has brought an otherwise unremarkable building to new glory. The aptly named Peacock Auto Service is now a punch of color in a sea of muted buildings in a light industrial area of Charlottesville.
“I always wanted to have my own business, my own shop and I wanted it to be top shelf. I want to give it a homey, family feel. This isn’t a state-of-the-art dealership, cutting edge, almost sterile,” he says. “This is a more comfortable, friendly spot and people feel free to come by and talk about their cars.”
Cleo Carratt Velle, who owns the property, agrees. “I am very pleased with the results. Joe knew what he wanted and I went along with it,” she says. “It’s very eye-catching.”
Baber’s garage is located where Pugh’s Auto Repair used to operate since the early 1980s, at 205 Meade Ave.
Baber, who is under a lease, is not new to the auto business. While an undergraduate, he worked part-time at Pugh’s Auto Repair and after the former owners of the business decided to retire, took his life-long dream into his own hands and scrubbed it to the bone.
“I fully cleaned, painted and restored the building inside and out,” he says.
In fact, it took Baber, his father and his girlfriend 10 days to complete the overhaul.
The most exciting find during the renovation was a set of 1930, Art Deco glass blocks gracing the white walls right above the front door.
“Those were all painted over and my dad spent eight hours up on a ladder cleaning them to re-expose them,” says Baber. Before, a big clock dominated the entryway, covering the glass tiles.
“I don’t know why my dad got on a ladder fooling with it, but by the end of the day he was all sunburned and they were all cleaned off,” he says.
“If you are going to do something, might as well do it up.”
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