Location: Avon, Connecticut
Owner: Damian Fox
Number of bays: 3
Staff size: 8
Sitting on about 1.2 acres of land, Foxy’s 44 Express Oil Change opened in October 2022. The lot includes a 2,800 square foot oil change center as well as a 3,000 square foot 4-bay detailing shop leased to a tenant.
Owner Damian Fox has run another shop called Foxy Fast Lube in Willimantic, Connecticut, for about two decades. But he grew up in Avon, and when he got the opportunity to open another shop there he pursued it.
“When we built Avon, we did it knowing everything that I’ve learned for the last 20 years (and) what I would do differently if I ever built a new store,” Fox says.
Flowers for All
Foxy’s 44 has a basement, allowing room for the shop’s 12 bulk tanks. Each is 375 gallons and is piped outside of the building. Fox says this design reduces interruptions and the need to drag hoses around.
“Also, it makes the upstairs perfectly clean,” Fox says. “There are no drums (and) it’s very sharp-looking.”
Epoxy floors, diamond plating on the walls, and lifts for each bay make up the interior as well. Fox’s wife designed the waiting room, which includes white subway tiles on the walls and a Bluetooth speaker built out of an old Chevy Truck. There is also fresh popcorn available.
Fox says about 60% of his customers are women, but regardless of who comes to get an oil change, one thing is for certain: They’ll walk away with a free rose.
“We see that as a small cost to make somebody’s day and to also make a service that’s normally mundane something special,” Fox says.
A Distinctive Look
Fox says Avon is strict about what the buildings look like, and this resulted in a more elaborate exterior for Foxy’s 44 than he would have done in a different town. But it worked out great.
The building’s exterior is a neutral color with a cupola on top and lots of natural light streaming through its windows.
“One of the things that we chose that is different than any other lube shop that I've seen is the black garage doors,” Fox says.
Fox says customers have been very complementary of the design. He says the shop almost feels like a high-end retail experience versus the average auto shop.
“Customer service is our number one priority,” Fox says. “I think we had 59 five-star reviews in the first three months of operation, which is highly unusual. So that’s something we’re really proud of.”
