Charles Repair and Service: From humble beginnings to a proud legacy of success
“Jim Fix It, operating on 6th Avenue, he says to me, ‘I wanna sell to you, but would you take on a partner?’ I said to him no…no partner. If you want to sell to me, I only got one partner and that’s my wife, Adeline.”
By 1975, the couple was in business and worked non-stop. Adeline, who managed the books and ordering parts, went five years without taking a wage until she was forced to when the business incorporated in 1979.
“She was a walking computer. I kid you not,” said Charles.
Their son Karl said people would come in and question Adeline, thinking she didn’t know much.
“But she knew more about fixing stuff than they knew because of the work orders that came through from Dad and the guys in the back,” said Karl. “She knew what parts they’d need, how much it cost, and she could rattle off 9-digit part numbers like nothing off the top of her head.”
Karl now co-owns the family business with his brother Peter.
“Growing up I’d go grab something off the pile of engines, strip it and then Dad would tell me to put it back together. I was only 10 years old,” said Karl. “He’d say you need to have sparks, you need to have gas, you need to have compression. You don’t have those three things – it’s not gonna run.”
When it began, Charles Repair and Service worked on almost anything from lawnmower and water pumps to hair dryers. The shop was so small, people would often line up down the street waiting their turn.
Over the years, the business flourished and started to focus more on lawn, garden and forestry machine repairs. When the demand grew, Charles Repair and Service started selling equipment like tillers, riding tractors and chainsaws. At one point, Charles Repair and Service sold the most Poulan chainsaws in Canada five years in a row.
“It never got easier, it just got harder,” said Adeline.
They had major customers like the city, provincial government and Weyerhauser, but the clientele grew way beyond Prince Albert.
“One guy who lived in Sweden, about a mile from the factory where the actual Husqvarna chainsaws were being built, said Peter. “He used to come out here for the holidays and it was cheaper for him to buy the chainsaws here and have it shipped back home.”
For years, another customer from France who would vacation here, brought in a long list of parts he needed every spring.
“He’d come back at the end of summer and pick them up and go back to France. He had equipment over there he couldn’t get the parts for, or it was too expensive. He did that for about 15 years,” said Peter.
As his sons became more involved in the business, Charles found some time to share his knowledge with others. He was instrumental in starting the small motors program at SIAST and sat on the school’s board for several years.
The business expanded in 1983 and again in 2014 when they moved to their current facility at 111 17th Street West. Charles retired in 1996 but still makes it to the shop regularly for coffee with his customers. Adeline retired in 2013. Looking back on 50 years of success means a lot for the family.
“I learned a lot that I didn’t know I had to learn…and it was hard,” said Charles.
But the foundation they built has led to generations of customers returning to Charles Repair and Service for their friendly and knowledgeable customer service and the confidence of knowing ‘if they don’t have it, they can get it for you.’
“Not only that… people buy equipment from us because they know we will look after them, service them and carry the parts they need to have it fixed the right way. It’s not just patched up. Everything is back to the way it originally was,” said Karl.
Today, Charles Repair and Service carries a wide array of chainsaws, generators, lawn and garden equipment, snow blowers, loader engines, log splitters, pressure washers, water pumps, pruning and landscaping supplies, and a selection of safety clothing and footwear.
The family plans to officially celebrate 50 years in business this September with a three-day long event. However, throughout the year there will be various sales and promotions on including some items marked at 1975 prices and 50 per cent off Husqvarna clothing, hats and backpacks as an example.
Be sure to visit their Facebook page for details in the coming months. You can also visit them online or in person at 111 17th Street West or, give them a call at 306-764-4375.
Charles Repair and Service is opened Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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**This article was published by paNOW’s commercial content divison.
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