Old Iron Auto in McDonough is celebrating its first year of business on Memorial Day, with Owners Luke Ganoung and Dalton Herrick describing their first year as challenging in part due to the coronavirus. (Photos by Zachary Meseck)

MCDONOUGH - According to Old Iron Owners Dalton Herrick and Luke Ganoung, owning a small mechanic shop during a pandemic hasn’t been easy, and poorly communicated government guidelines have only made it more difficult to promote business or celebrate their first year anniversary this Memorial Day.

Old Iron Auto is a licensed automotive repair shop and used car dealership located at 1647 State Highway 220 in the center of McDonough. Owners Herrick and Ganoung have lived in the area for years, and between the two they had more than 20 years of industry experience in the automotive field before making their own shop.

“Who would have thought when we opened this place a year ago we’d be facing an unprecedented pandemic that basically put the entire country on gridlock for three months,” said Herrick. “I think one of the biggest things that helped us survive is the fact that we’re affordable, we’re from the area so we care about what happens here, and that we’re open when a lot of other shops aren’t.”

When asked about the specific challenges many small garages have faced, Herrick said the new rules created by New York State are rapidly changing, poorly communicated, and bad for business.

“It significantly impacted what we do, the state really tied our hands,” he said. “We couldn’t let anyone actually test drive a car, we had to do everything remotely, we couldn’t have any face to face interactions.”

“That’s a lot of how you sell a car, it’s about how you come off to people and portray your businesses, and honestly who is going to buy a car if they can’t test drive it first.”

Ganoung said charging $70 an hour, considerably lower than other automotive repair shops in Chenango County, and being available at night gave Old Iron Auto an advantage over other garages in the area, and allowed the business to continue to grow despite the coronavirus.

“It helps that we’re able to handle projects many other garages won’t,” said Ganoung. “We do transmission and engine rebuilds, general maintenance, and pretty much everything inbetween.”

“It’s not uncommon to have a single shop dedicated to working on just one of those, so I think that helps us stand out as well.”

He said when starting the business last year, they hoped to be able to purchase two vehicles and have them for sale on the lot. He added that at this point they’ve sold several vehicles, and they have 10 for sale.

“If someone were to ask me if it’s a good time to start your own mechanic shop, I would probably suggest they hold off until things change with the pandemic,” said Ganoung. “When you do decide to start your own business, it’s important that you work everything out first.”

“Know how much everything is going to cost you, and understand that there are some things you just can’t plan for.”