Matthew Boucher has fond memories of childhood when he was sweeping the floors of his grandfather’s CARSTAR in Collingwood for quarters from the mechanics, so he could get candy from the shop’s vending machine.
Now, Matthew and his brother Andrew run the business. CARSTAR Collingwood was started in 1974 by Matthew’s grandparents Lloyd and Iona Boucher.
Matthew and Andrew mark the third generation of Bouchers at the helm. The business was recently awarded with the marketer of the year award at the annual Canadian CARSTAR conference for supporting sports teams in Collingwood.
The brothers have wonderful memories of their childhoods spent in the shop.
We would (sweep) horribly, but they would give us 25 cents to get a candy. We were maybe 10,” Matthew recalls with a laugh. “We would eat it all in one go, then go to the next guy’s stall and sweep their stall.”
The Bouchers came from a small farming community in Quebec, moving to Toronto in the early years.
“My grandpa was told he had become too old to be a bodyman, too old to fix cars,” said Matthew. “He had a brother who lived in Collingwood and he moved up here.”
The Bouchers came to Collingwood while the Collingwood Shipyards were still open, and got to work fixing cars, initially under the name Parkway Collision.
The shop started humbly, originally 2,000 square feet. Over the years it underwent multiple expansions, and now sits at the same location where it started on Pretty River Parkway at about 12,000 square feet.
Lloyd worked on the floor, while Iona worked managing the office.
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