Rooted in Community
Full Service - From Bomb Shelters to Brake Pads
Leo Cailler opened his first garage in 1963 on Pleasant Street in Concord, after returning from active duty to his wife and 2 children, Douglas and Lee-Ann. The shop had 2 service bays and sold gas for $0.29 a gallon.
During the Cold War era Leo repurposed the basement of the garage into a fallout shelter, stocking it with supplies, and eventually he transformed it again into recreational space for racing slot cars. This sparked a passion for racing in his son, Doug, as well as for automobiles, that would stay with him throughout the course of his life.
The space grew in popularity and eventually became a local hangout for the Concord community’s youth. Some Concord residents still share memories of their time spent racing cars at the Pleasant Street garage.
Leo closed the Pleasant Street location in 1968 and opened a new facility in East Concord 3 years later.
Setting Roots - Becoming a Concord Fixture
Doug worked with his father, learning the automotive repair trade, before leaving at 18 to join the Army during the Vietnam War. In 1975 Doug opened his own garage, Cailler's, on South Main Street in Concord, which operated until 2009 when he retired, 34 years later.
Doug was well known for his honesty, and well loved for his kind nature and quiet sense of humor. He built relationships with his customers and vendors alike. It was not uncommon for patrons to stop by simply to say hello, and it was often hard to differentiate a customer from a family friend. To Doug there was no difference.
In 1991 Doug purchased his residence on West Street in Concord which was also home to Langley's garage - another Concord staple. Doug loved what he did and planned to update the garage and use the space to work on recreational projects after his retirement. Unfortunately Doug fell ill and passed in 2014, before being able to fully realize his vision.
The Future - Keeping it in the Family
Most of Doug’s 4 children helped out around Cailler's garage at one point or another. Katie took a full time position pumping gas while attending college. Katie, like Doug, has a passion for tinkering - figuring out how things work, taking things apart and putting them back together, problem solving - and it wasn’t long before Katie was studying along side her father, just as Doug had done with his father, Leo, years before.
Katie obtained her original degree, and then went on to enroll in and attend school for automotive repair. She worked for her father again, this time servicing vehicles, and like Doug, she built relationships with and became trusted by their customers. When Doug was unable to continue running the shop prior to its sale, Katie oversaw shop operations until it was finalized in 2009.
In the years after Doug's retirement Katie spent many hours working alongside him in his home garage, and after his passing she purchased the property. The Spruce Street garage is steeped in history - it began as a Peugot dealership, was home to Langley's Garage, debuted briefly as Cailler's 2 after Doug bought the house in 1991 - but when Katie looked at the shop she saw the future.
KB Automotive shares the same mission as the shops that came before - to provide honest, quality service at a reasonable price. Katie values the relationships she builds with her customers, and she has integrated her experience and utilized technology to bring even more value to the customer experience.