Automotive Garage
Stan’s Automotive
1950 W South Boulder Rd
Lafayette, CO
The story of Stan’s Automotive is how a family business has cared for a community for 50 years, and in doing so, made an automotive garage a sacred place.
The story of Stan’s Automotive begins in 1973 when StanElmore and his wife Donna, recently married and just out of high school, partnered with a local businessman to sell tires in the small town of Lafayette. Stan did not have any business experience, but had a foundational philosophy of service and a commitment to integrity. He believed the common bonds of successful businesses were the way they served the community. Stan’s business sponsored their children’s sports and activities and remained supporters of the local schools and athletics long after their children outgrew them.
Stan opened a new shop on South Boulder Road in 1980 after outgrowing the original Lafayette location. He put a sign out front with message space for advertising. In the early 1980s, Stan posted a message on the sign to his wife, “DONNA, BE MY VALENTINE, STAN.” He immediately received requests for other personal messages on the sign. By the end of the decade, the sign became exclusively used for personal messages and community news. Numerous articles have been written about the sign locally and nationally. There have been wedding proposals, birth announcements, and countless messages of support and care. The sign at Stan’s now belongs to the community.
Scott, Stan’s son, purchased the family business in 2018. He deeply believed in the family and business philosophy of caring for the community. His father had embodied their mission statement “We don’t fix cars. We solve people’s problems.” Scott’s commitment is to grow that mission. Instead of any coupons or traditional marketing, Scott chooses to invest in supporting local events, local schools, local causes, and local fundraisers. 100% of their strategy is investing into the local community. Because of this, Stan’s is trusted by the local schools, service agencies, and nonprofits like Good Neighbor Garage to serve families in need.
In an industry with an average of 3-5 years, over half of Stan’s staff have 20+ years with the business. One of the staff, is Guido who has lived his whole life in Lafayette, except for when he went away for WWII. He retired after 33 years of working with Stan’s, working as a shuttle driver for Stan’s until he was 85. One of the signs Scott is most proud of is the sign out front of Stan’s celebrating Guido’s 90th birthday.
“We do the same thing all day. If it wasn’t about the people, the work would get mundane.” Scott has inspiring stories of how a family business has served the community because of the simple philosophy of solving people’s problems. “We’re teaching people how to look out after each other and be a good neighbor.”
