Four generations of McCrackens have worked at McCracken Automotive in West Roxbury, MA, since it opened and they take pride in the “individualized customer attention” that they provide to each customer that enters the shop.
Below is the article as it appeared in the
Wicked Local West Roxbury/Roslindale website.
Four Generations of Service at McCracken Automotive in West Roxbury
By Bridget MacDonald
Wicked Local West Roxbury/Roslindale
Posted Mar 11, 2010 @ 11:30 AM
West Roxbury — John McCracken was just 4 years old when his father, Sam, opened a gas station on Spring Street in West Roxbury, the forerunner to today’s McCracken Automotive Service.
“We have an old picture from when he first started,” said John. “Gas was 14.7 cents per gallon.”
McCracken Automotive in West Roxbury in the olden days. Four generations of family members have worked at the business.
Now gas prices are about 20 times higher, and McCracken Automotive is three times as big — the company has expanded to include an express garage for basic services a few doors down from the flagship location, and a branch in Westwood.
But John said despite the passage of time, and the growth of the business, McCracken Automotive remains true to its founder’s vision as a matter of course.
When he took over for his father, John said he would remind his employees time and time again: “Whatever you do, don’t ruin my dad’s reputation.”
After immigrating to the U.S. from Ireland, Sam McCracken found his first job on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company factory that once cranked out Model Ts on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. But Sam was a natural mechanic with a knack for “figuring out how things worked,” said John, and he soon decided to set out on his own.
“It was a poor time to start, being during the Depression, but it worked out somehow,” said John. He said the business thrived on its word-of-mouth reputation, to the point where it became a struggle for his father to keep up with the work.
John helped out in the shop after class during high school, and started working full time once he completed his service in the Army in 1957. At his father’s side, he learned how to evaluate each vehicle, and each customer, as an individual. “You would talk to people just like a doctor would talk to a patient,” he said. “You would listen for certain key words, to know what to repair.”
He remembered that his father was fascinated with technology, and quick to adapt to change. “He was one of the first ones around to do automatic transmissions,” John said. “He just figured it out.”
But he also said his father was resistant to change in other ways. “My poor dad didn’t even have appointments or anything — the longer customers had been with him, the more loyal he was to them,” said McCracken. “I started in with appointments, and we lost some customers who expected to just be able to come in whenever they wanted to have work done.”
In the 1980s, McCracken’s son-in-law, Jason Brown, who now runs the business, came on board to help manage the office even more efficiently, implementing a software system to keep track of clients, jobs and invoicing. But having come out of a hotel management background, Brown felt compelled to learn more about the automotive business firsthand.
“I asked John to let me go out and turn wrenches,” Brown said. “Everything I learned, I learned from him.”
In addition to picking up the nitty-gritty of automotive repair, Brown said he has continued to provide the individualized customer attention championed by his predecessors, which he said is particularly important in a tough economy.
(l-r) Jonathan Alibrandi, Kayla Brown, John McCracken, Jason Brown and Connor Brown all work at the longtime family owned and operated business, McCracken Automotive, on Spring St. in West Roxbury. The business has expanded to Westwood and just added another location on Spring St. (Wicked Local staff photo by Kate Flock)
“People are holding onto their cars,” he said. “We do a lot of evaluations, to say for example, ‘This car has two or three more years, and you will have to spend this much money,’ so the customers can add it up.”
Brown also picked up on his father-in-law’s respect for Sam McCracken. “The thing that has kept us in business is the customer trust. He had such a good reputation in this town, all I had to do was protect it,” said Brown.
For now, keeping the business in the family seems to be one surefire way to safeguard the McCracken legacy. Brown’s son, Connor, works at the express location, and his daughter, Kayla, a recent graduate of Quinnipiac University, has taken on the marketing responsibilities.
John McCracken was quick to point out that when he was in charge, he wouldn’t have made it without the help of his wife, Ernestine, who did all of the bookkeeping behind the scenes.
But with the assurance that things are in good hands now, John said he is glad to be out of the picture: “I’ve been out about 10 years. I can’t say I miss it.” But without a moment’s hesitation, he added, “You know what I miss? I miss my customers.”
To view additional photos or to read this article on the Wicked Local West Roxbury/Roslindale website, visit http://www.wickedlocal.com/roslindale/news/business/x324654974/Four-generations-of-service-at-McCracken-Automotive-in-West-Roxbury.