In the early 1970s, when Robert Bookout was in high school, he wrote a paper for one of his classes on his goals for when he graduated. He answered that he wanted to own his own automotive service station.
Since then, Bookout hasn’t been deterred from that path. Although other career options became available to him after graduating, he found himself drawn back to that dream of owning his own service station—a dream that he’s made a reality for himself and the entire community of Etowah, Tennessee.
Having celebrated the 50th anniversary of his shop, Bookout’s Tire and Lube, last year, Bookout shared with NOLN how he’s seen the industry change and what he’s learned from his time in the auto service field.
Holding on to a Dream
Bookout’s interest in auto service began when he was just 15 years old, when he gained his first job at a service station. He enjoyed the work he was doing there, but when he graduated in 1973, he initially didn’t enter the automotive field. He found himself working at a paper mill, making good money, but ultimately dissatisfied with doing shift work and having an unpredictable schedule.
On top of that, Bookout simply liked the work he had been doing at the service station more.
“That's just what I kind of enjoyed, was working on cars and changing tires,” tells Bookout. “And I trade around quite a bit on cars—you know, buying and selling and stuff—and naturally, if you're going to do that, it kind of helps to have a place where you can change your oil and tires and stuff.”
Bookout stayed at the paper mill for 13 months before leaving and seeking another service station job. He was still living at home with his parents, and realized that it was time he should make the leap to find a career he’d enjoy in the long run. Some didn’t understand Bookout’s decision.
“I’d have guys come in there that I worked with down at the plant, and they would say, ‘Oh, are you helping? Are you working out here part-time now?’ And I said, ‘No, I quit at the plant and come to work here.’ And they were shocked,” remembers Bookout. “But that's just how much I didn't like the plant.”
Bookout still had in mind his dream of opening his own service station, and noticed a building just up the road that had been available for rent for some time. Could this be the first step to setting up shop?
Taking the Leap
Bookout presented the idea to his father, who told him to talk to Frank Hicks: a man who operated his own shop for nearly 40 years in the building Bookout was considering renting.
“So I went and talked to Frank, and I asked him if he thought I could make a go of it. And he said, ‘As long as you do good work and are honest, I feel like you can.’ So that was kind of a turning point for me, and an encouragement to go ahead and bite the bullet, so to speak,” says Bookout.
In the fall of 1974, Bookout went ahead and rented the building, beginning his journey. Though the shop has since moved several times, its first facility was older, originally built in the 1930s, and was located three blocks off the main highway in a residential part of town.
Business was slow at first, with just Bookout doing the bulk of the work and his brother helping part-time. But it slowly increased, and as Bookout brought on employees to work at the shop, he started realizing that, though he was experienced with vehicles, he needed training in how to manage people.
Like many people, Bookout was not given any training in school on running a business. As a newly made shop owner, he had taken it upon himself to seek out courses, seminars, and classes that could show him how to up his game.
“I didn't take any kind of management classes and stuff like that in school, so it was all kind of new to me,” explains Bookout. “That helped—going to some different conferences, sitting in on classes, and listening to what other people were struggling with and getting ideas from that.”
Communicating with customers can be something especially challenging, particularly when a vehicle owner isn’t understanding what the situation may be with their car. It takes patience to speak with individuals and understand they aren’t coming from a place of knowledge on the subject.
The frequent communication shop owners experience and the myriad personalities that come through shop doors underscore the importance of taking care of yourself and remembering where your values lie. For Bookout, his spirituality has offered him a productive way to handle such situations.
“The last 20 or 30 years, I have tried to turn my life around and live more like how I feel my Lord and Savior Jesus would want me to. And that has enabled me to treat people the way that I feel like I should treat them, and the way they need to be treated,” shares Bookout.
Taking Care of Customers
Having recently turned 70, Bookout has seen many changes during his time in the industry and has watched the number of oils and tires continue to expand. But there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, and that’s what Hicks told Bookout when he first opened his shop: If you do good work and are honest, you can make it.
Bookout has worked tirelessly to make his shop clean, organized, and a place that someone of any age or background can feel comfortable coming to. He still remembers being a teenager at the service station, and his boss ordering him to clean the windshield of a couple who had come in just to ask for directions. It’s that kind of care and dedication that has earned Bookout’s Tire and Lube third-generation customers.
“There’s something about keeping the place organized and clean, and people feeling good about having their 16-year-old daughter come in for an oil change and know the waiting area is going to be clean and have good literature around for them to look at,” says Bookout. “Being able to have a satisfied customer that brags on our location—that's my motivation.”
