Housatonic — John’s Garage and Auto Body, located at 1035 Main Street, closed in early October.
Quirino “John” Pegorari started the auto shop in 1962, owning it for the next 43 years. Pegorari died in June 2005, and the business was taken over by his children: David Pegorari, Michael Pegorari, Suzanne Kabisch, and Doreen Hall.
In an interview with The Berkshire Edge, Michael Pegorari said that his family appreciated the support of their customers over the course of the last 60 years. “All of our customers were great, and we loved them all,” Pegorari said. “It’s hard to step away, but we wanted to retire. We had to make a decision. We tried to get people to work for us, but nobody wanted to put in the hours that needed to be put in. We just decided that it was senseless to keep it going because it’s so hard for someone to come in and then train them. We just didn’t have much luck getting anyone to work for us.”
Will Hartigan, owner of Housatonic Auto, is now renting the shop space. “I hope to buy the building eventually and reopen the store, some do some coffee or food thing here and maybe pump some gas again,” Hartigan said. “But for now I am focusing on growing Housatonic Auto. To me, it’s an honor and a dream to be here.”
