In early August, longtime Bennington Garage owner Joe MacGregor announced his retirement.

After owning the Bennington cornerstone for four decades after moving to Bennington in 1983, MacGregor sold the business to ConVal graduate and Greenfield resident Wade Wallace. Alongside his wife Nicole, Wallace has begun a new era for the business.

“There are few people as decent as Joe MacGregor,” Michael Munhall,  chairman of the Bennington Conservation Commission wrote in a column honoring MacGregor. “He has helped people find cars and kept their cars on the road for these 40 years. While doing that, he also mentored students and young people in learning how to care for cars and also how to care for their lives.

Munhall added that “Joe always had a ready smile for anyone coming to the garage, and people turn to him for advice on virtually every subject. Joe has gone beyond working on cars; he cares about his customers and neighbors as friends. He has shepherded families through loss, illnesses and transitions of their own.”

Along with a fresh coat of paint. Wallace planned to install an additional lift to move more cars through the garage at a more-efficient rate. The garage was also slated to get a new computer system to allow for better administrative performance. In addition to the infrastructure improvements, Wallace is also hoping to eventually bolster his small workforce. 

“Right now it's just me and one other guy,” said Wallace. “He does all the tires and stuff and helps me out when I need little jobs done here and there.” 

The business has family at its core, with Wade being the expert on the cars and Nicole overseeing the administrative elements of the establishment. 

“She does pretty much the same thing Joe's wife does,” said Wade. “She’s all of the important book stuff, all of the stuff to keep the doors open.”

After their acquisition of Bennington Garage, they are excited to provide the area with their knowledge, as well as Wade’s European car expertise. The legacy of the business is fresh on their minds as they step into ownership.

“We're excited to be able to keep the nostalgia but also kind of update everything to modern day,” said Nicole. “We had such trouble finding somewhere for almost a whole year and then we finally found this one and it really seemed like it worked out perfectly. So we're excited.”