ABOUT US
Doug
Jenkins Garage is the natural outcome of Doug's
love of cool
old cars. He originally operated a local garage
in Fairbanks, Alaska, and was well known by the
great old rides he and his wife had. Years of experience
in the arctic building
and repairing cars where the temperature extremes
weeded out bad work pretty quickly, his shop built
a reputation for timely, quality work. Starting
with earthmoving and logging equipment, then to
medium and light duty vehicles, the shop in Fairbanks
moved more and more toward specialty and classic auto
restoration over the years.
Right
away a challenge presented itself. With Doug's shop
doing such good mechanical work, his customers asked
him if he could recommend a body shop with the same
high standards of quality and timeliness. After
some effort, Doug decided to handle the paint work
as well as all the mechanical needs of his customers.
It was a grand success.
While
all this good work on classic cars was going on,
Doug discovered dirt track racing. After several
successful years in both stock cars and sprints,
the family decided to sell out their business, home
and dreams in Alaska and head to the lower forty
eight to try professional sprint car racing with
the World of Outlaws. Doug, his wife Kerry and two
little girls, Robin and Holly, took their suitcases
on a plane and never looked back.
Five
months and 40,000 miles of driving between races
later found the family whipped. Unable to meet the
demands of two and three nights a week of racing,
the uphill battle of learning so many new tracks,
and the incredible expenses involved in racing at
that level ruined Doug financially. The family was
completely supportive throughout the entire time.
Sleeping in the truck or trailer when there was
time to sleep, little girls stumbling into truck
stops or rest areas with their toothbrushes every
morning, no one complained much.
Feeling he had failed himself and his family, Doug
decided to take the family back to Alaska and start
over. But the kids would have nothing of it! They
loved St. Louis and the opportunities there, and
firmly demanded the family relocate. So, living
in a friends' basement, the family began again in
Missouri. Doug broke out his toolbox and went to
work.
Using the skills he had gained from the small shop in Fairbanks, Doug met the needs of a friend from Church who had a Nash Healy in need of electrical work. That guy had a friend with a '37 Cord. That guy had a friend... It was an instant fit. Top quality work, fair price and timely delivery turned out to be an unbeatable combination. Doug
Jenkins Garage is still doing the same thing today.
Every day is a new opportunity to meet good people
with cool
cars and make their dream come true.
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