Ever since he was 15, James C. Fazio, Sr. had a talent for fixing cars. In 1965, when he was 18 years old, he began his formal career as an automotive technician at Ernie von Schledorn's auto dealership. After nine years of automotive experience both there and at an auto shop named Tebo's, James Sr. felt ready to open his own shop. In Milwaukee's East Side, on Farwell Avenue, there was a run-down two-bay auto repair facility; Fazio bought it and opened it as Fazio Automotive. The shop was small and humble, but with hard work and determination, James Sr. slowly built the business, and developed a reputation for speed and reliability.
James Fazio, Sr. outside the original shop.
In 1978, the business had grown too large for the small garage James Sr. had invested in seven years ago. Putting the shop's profits back into the business, he remodeled, expanding the shop from a small two-bay operation to a full-featured commercial facility, with the ability to take on more assignments, and bigger tasks. The remodeling took ten months, during which Fazio Automotive stayed open for business, doing repairs in the open air or under a tent.
The shop remains open during remodeling.
In 1985, James Sr. began to pass on his skills to his son, the current proprietor. Just like his father, James Fazio, Jr. started working in auto repair when he was 18 years old. In 1997, James Jr. took over the family business himself, making Fazio Automotive a family tradition spanning more than thirty years. With the assistance of shop manager and master mechanic Karl Krause, "Jimmy" runs a repair shop whose goal is to keep your car and your wallet as healthy as possible.
"Jimmy" takes up the family trade at 18.