Double D Discount Motorspares & Accessories in St Nicholas Avenue, run by Jesbinder Singh Bhogal and his son Nav Bhogal, is closed as the shop is getting a new look.
The shop space has been split in half with the front half remaining as a motor parts shop and the back half becoming a servicing garage.
Jesbinder opened the store on April 29, 1985 and Nav joined the business in 2012.
“Dad’s one of the longest serving shop owners here,” Nav told the Recorder.
“We thought the shop was looking a bit tired and had the same fixtures and fittings for a long time.
“We have to look at the next 20-odd years and do this now rather than later when it’s harder.”
Work began on the new servicing garage in February 2024 and has been completed whilst refurbishment works are ongoing in the front of the shop.
Double D Discount’s stock will be updated as well as new lighting, new flooring and a new customer waiting area being installed.
“We want to keep that personal, family touch,” Nav said.
“The only reason dad has stayed in business for as long as this is because he’s provided an honest service to the local community.
“People know him by first name and some call him Jess and he’s always happy to do odd jobs for free or sit and talk if people need advice.
“We want to continue that and have authenticity in being a family-run business in the local area.
“We’re not always here to make the most money but as long as we’re providing a good service, we’re doing our part.”
Nav said that as the peg boards around the interior of the shop have come down, he has found old coach service posters from the 1970s and 80s.
He also felt that the time was right to expand into the service sector in order to compete against larger motor chains.
The father and son duo hope to employ a full-time mechanic to run the garage whilst they look after the retail side.
The garage will offer diagnostics, servicing and repairs but not MOTs.
Nav said: “I was probably more excited for this project because I knew the potential.
“For Dad it was more tricky because telling someone to change their business model after 40 years is daunting for them.
“As soon as we started breaking ground he came into his own and he had a spark again and started coming up with ideas.
“I don’t think he had challenged himself for a while because you can get comfortable with your business model and not want to risk changing it.”
Although closed for walk-in customers, the shop is open for deliveries and Nav does not want to be out of action for long because “there’s a lot of people who we serve that need help”.
A post on the shop’s Facebook page notes that it will reopen next Tuesday (January 13) and Nav confirmed this is still the plan.
“If a customer comes and they’re in a pickle we will still help because we don’t want to let anyone down,” he said.
“Dad used to work seven days a week for 30 plus years and recently we’ve told him to take Sundays off so now he works six.
“He’s been fantastic. He’s the kind of individual that always goes out of his way to help a customer.
“If you go to a big chain brand you won’t get that personal level of service so I think that’s a reason why people come back to him.
“It’s important to keep that methodology because without it we’re just another brand trying to make money.”
