For 68 years, A. Paquette Garage has been a place that residents of Vankleek Hill and the surrounding area have trusted as a friendly, honest, place to have repairs and maintenance done on their vehicles. But, the garage, which opened in 1957, will close on Saturday March 1. Owner Jean-Luc Paquette has decided to step back from the automotive business and eventually pursue other opportunities.
“People are disappointed, but they’re also supportive,” he said.
Paquette said he had been thinking of making a career change, and then the opportunity came when an offer was made to purchase the garage’s longtime location on Wall Street in Vankleek Hill.
Jean-Luc has been working on cars since he was 10 years old, under the watch of his father, previous garage owner Lucien Paquette, who took over the business in 1966 from his father, Armand Paquette, who founded A. Paquette Garage in 1957. Jean-Luc took over the business in 2002. Mechanic Marc Duval, who works with Jean-Luc at the garage, said he is considering some options for when the garage closes. Lucien died in 2022. His wife, Jean-Luc’s mother Michelle, has continued to assist with the administrative side of the business. The business began in the garage of the family home on Wall Street 68 years ago, before moving to the concrete block building where it has remained ever since. In 1986, Armand added an addition to the building, more than doubling its size.
Jean-Luc said the family has always tried to give back to the community through their business as a sponsor of children’s t-ball teams, carnivals, parades, and the fair. He also used to help prepare contestants’ cars for the fair demolition derby.
Automotive technology has changed a lot during the past 68 years. Jean-Luc said he has seen many of those changes.
“I’ve seen the evolution from the carburetor to the first generation of fuel injection, to direct injection and hybrids,” he remarked.
The range of makes and models has also expanded from the days of three or four North American automakers to companies from Asia and Europe.
Jean-Luc said he has always appreciated the support of his wife Marie-Claude and their daughter Daphnée through his years’ operating the family business.
“They’ve been with me through all the messes!” he said.
It is evident that operating a garage was more than just a job to the Paquette family. It was also about being a respected part of life in Vankleek Hill.
“I’m proud to look back and know I made a difference,” Jean-Luc said.
“It’s the people I’m going to miss; it’s the love I’m going to miss,” he added.
Jean-Luc plans to take some time to relax before deciding what he will do next, after the last vehicle drives out of the garage doors.
