Fund Ash the Mechanic’s community-driven, Philly Auto Garage

My name is Ashley Lamoreaux, and I’ve been serving the greater Philadelphia community with my sliding-scale, education-based approach to auto-mechanics under the name Ash the Mechanic. My business has been quickly growing, and a big THANK YOU to all of my clients so far. It has been growing so quickly, I need to scale up! An exciting opportunity has presented itself to purchase a single bay auto-garage facility in my local West-Philadelphia community. This historic horse carriage building has housed an exhaust shop for over 20 years, and is ready for a new, female-owned and community-oriented vision for automotive repair.

I am hoping to raise $15,000 to help me with purchasing the space so that I can set up brick and mortar to provide quality services in a safe, fully resourced, professional garage. My ultimate goal is to satisfy a niche in the automotive industry and pair community outreach with automotive repair. Through needs-based programs, educational opportunities, and affordable services I hope to make underrepresented communities feel safe and empowered through their vehicles. To learn more about my mission, program ideas, and backstory, please read further! 

Sliding scale mobile automotive services provided now:

-Personal vehicle and pre-purchase inspections

-Check engine light diagnostic

-Brake diagnosis and repair

-Suspension diagnosis and repair

-Motor/Transmission Oil/Filter changes

-Cooling system diagnosis and repair

-Battery and Charging System diagnosis and repair

-Electrical diagnosis, bulb replacements

-Engine tune ups, Throttle body cleanings, air filter replacement, etc.

-Van and Skoolie internal build consultations

-Other miscellaneous services not listed

Services I will be able to provide with acquisition of this property:

-Tire and wheel services, mounting and balancing, tire repairs

-Larger repairs that require a vehicle hoist and other heavy equipment (engine swaps, dropping subframes, exhaust work, heavier suspension repairs, transmission work, etc.)

-Repairs and diagnostics that require specialty tools that take up more space

-Pennsylvania State Safety and Emissions Inspections

-Hosting workshops and tutorials in a safe location

-Kickstarting community outreach programs, which is the foundation of my business plan and passion

About me:

At age 18, I started working on my ‘96 Jeep on a concrete slab in my hometown, using nothing but small hand tools and a hacksaw to cut stubborn bolts, all in the hopes that I could prove that women were capable of such things. After graduating college with a concentration in community development, I started wrenching at a mom and pop shop and became a vehicle safety inspector. I bought an old ‘87 van and moved to Philadelphia where I was hired as a technician in the city; there, I lived in the van in the shop parking lot, taking “bird baths” amongst other “van life” activities, and growing as a woman in the field. I then moved to the state of Wyoming and became the manager of a repair and towing operation in Yellowstone National Park. In the off season, I purchased a diesel school bus and got certified in light duty diesel repair while working at a family-owned diesel repair shop in New Mexico. Now I am back in Philadelphia, kick-starting my own business by providing sliding scale mobile repair work, as well as developing workshops and outreach programs. Moving back to Philadelphia after two years spent in the middle-of-nowhere has been quite the culture shock. It wasn’t too long ago I envisioned myself as a recluse, hiding away from society deep in the woods. The energy I felt from the community upon returning to Philly was so electrifying and connected, despite how disconnected the entire world had become. I felt like I was destined to stay here and fulfill a dream that has been boiling in my blood for years now, fulfilling a niche within the grassroots automotive industry that coalesces automotive repair with education, empowerment, and community development.

About the Community and my Developing Programs:

In Philadelphia, there is an exponential need for this type of model, and I have been overwhelmed with a client base whose concerns and goals stem from financial need, fear of being taken advantage of, pursuit of knowledge, or the desire to support a female and queer operated business. Philadelphia is often referred to as “America’s poorest big city,” yet more than half of all Philadelphians use a vehicle to get to work, making the cost of automotive repair a major hindrance to economic upliftment if one’s only source of employment is beyond the reach of public transportation. Philadelphia’s unhoused population has increased for three years in a row, making living in a vehicle a harsh reality for many in the city (I have done it!). Philadelphia is starved of an automotive mechanic that takes a needs-based approach to its provided services; offering bundled expenses, complimentary inspections, finance options, educational opportunities, and community outreach programs. I hope to devise a program where I would host advanced diagnostic training for novice mechanics on a sliding scale, and use those tuition fees to fund repair expenses for those in desperate need (such as the female unhoused community, and those unable to afford gender-affirming health-care services). Other repair organizations– such as Repair Revolution in Seattle, Washington and The Lift Garage in Minneapolis, Minnesota– have pre existing programs I would build upon, including providing free bulb replacements for the BIPOC community to prevent undue traffic stops by the police. I’ve been experimenting with ideas ranging from community outreach days where someone gets a free safety related repair; knowledge and resource sharing such as databases of service information and study guides that people can download and access for free; having sliding scale and barter friendly services on a case-by-case basis; having networking events with trades people in the area, as well as tool swaps (building off of what West Philly Tool Library does) and “oil” drives (like food drives but with motor oil). There is so much to be done in this void… so many ways to make the automotive industry less abrasive and predatory, and more caring and essential. 

My Mission:

Throughout my time in the field, I’ve developed a unique understanding of the communal value of automotive repair. I’ve impassioned myself with blending my educational background in community development with my skill and love of wrenching on cars! My mission is to better serve women, BIPOC, and folks in the LGBTQ+ community by providing affordable diagnostic and repair services, while also championing needs-based programs surrounding education and charity. My goal is to make automotive services less overwhelming through case-by-case education, scheduled workshops and training opportunities, and resource sharing with tradespeople in the field. I strive to make repairs more affordable so that underrepresented communities can actively pursue preventative maintenance and keep their vehicles on the road for longer. My vision is to create a safe space for those said communities to understand and take care of their vehicles through trust, quality service, and empowerment. In the long term, I hope that my aid in empowering people could encourage the pursuit of knowledge and careers in the automotive field, which will uplift and diversify the local economy and workforce.

My Need:

My ambition and momentum on this project is not enough to make it a reality, and if those attributes alone were valued monetarily I think that wealth would exist where it should, and it does not. I am asking for a huge amount of support and charity through this fundraiser knowing that the proceeds will go back into the community as I build a community-oriented business. I am ready to commit my entire life savings to this project, and I continue to save by working in the same parking lot everyday, providing affordable repairs to the West Philly community. I will be forced to sell my van when I get under contract with the property owner, but even these efforts will not be enough to dive head-first into this ambitious business plan. In order to cover contractor expenses, realtor fees, lawyer fees, and closing costs, I will need to raise between $16,000 and $27,000. Once I secure the property in my name, which may take a financial and logistical miracle, I can pursue my dream and give back to the community through my grassroots, community-outreach and educational approach to automotive repair. Any amount of help would make this possible, as I scramble as the little guy trying to make a big purchase and a big dent in the diversification and positive growth of West Philadelphia.