The star treatment
The star treatment
Thanks to a shot-in-the-dark e-mail sent to a reality show star, the cable TV spotlight will now shine on a Bakersfield business.
“You just never know — we thought, ‘Why not try it and see what happens,’” said Tom Thomson, the fleet salesman at Service 1st Collision Center, 4241 E. Brundage Lane.
What happened was the stuff of Hollywood hoopla — only this time, the real-life action took place right here in Kern County.
An episode of “Little People, Big World” featuring a complete restoration of a 1967 Volkswagen Bug — performed over a year-period at Service 1st — will air at 8 p.m., Dec. 1 on The Learning Channel (TLC). The national exposure, however, is only one feather in the cap of this local shop, co-owned by Henry and Alma Gonzales, who always aim to give customers — famous or not — the star treatment.
‘Better than new’
While watching an episode of “Little People, Big World” — a cable docudrama series that follows the lives of dwarf couple Matt and Amy Roloff and their four children, one of whom is also a dwarf — Tom caught sight of Matt Roloff’s dilapidated, 1967 VW Bug.
Just as it has for three seasons on TLC, the rusted, faded yellow, compact car of the 1960s and '70s, stood silent among a field at the Roloff Farms, the family’s sprawling 34-acre spread in Oregon.
Known on the show (and by his family) as a multi-tasker who doesn’t always complete his many, sometimes lofty, projects, Matt apparently always planned to restore the classic car. After all, it has sentimental value, having been in the family for 40-plus years.
During the episode that Tom caught, Matt’s dwarf son Zach Roloff told his dad there was no point in saving the car — it couldn’t be done, even throwing out the word “stupid.”
“Oh yes it can, it’s not stupid — and we’d be glad to do it,” thought the folks at Service 1st.
The local shop extended an offer to restore the car via that cyberspace correspondence.
“The rest, as they say, is history!” said both Tom and Henry in unison.
Matt replied to the email and agreed to finally get the VW off his farm that sprouts a very popular pumpkin patch each fall. The car had sat out in the elements for about 10 years.
Tom actually got in his own Hummer, traveled to the Roloff farm just outside Portland, Ore. and picked up the shabby ride, trailering it back to Bakersfield.
The car arrived to Service 1st’s state-of-the-art collision and restoration garage in southeast Bakersfield May 31, 2007.
It was not pretty
Rust, bullet holes (one of the Roloff boys apparently used the VW for target practice), even an old wasps nest found embedded in the passenger door presented Service 1st with quite a challenge.
“When that car first came to the shop, I was like, ‘I have no idea how we’re going to pull this off,’” said Rick Gonzales, 20, the youngest son of Henry and Alma, who works at Service 1st and hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps.
The couple’s oldest son, Cisco, 21, attends Cal State Fullerton as a Japanese studies major.
Also among the major overhauls for what became known around the shop as “The Bug Project” were the complete rebuilding of the car’s floor and the electrical system.
Because every part of the electrical system was either “dead or cut,” that leg of the restoration was farmed out to George Kline of George’s German Dreams, according to Rick. Special thanks were also given to: Safelite Auto Glass, Bakersfield Auto & Aircraft Interiors and America’s Tire Company.
During Father’s Day weekend of 2007, the Roloffs made a pit stop at Service 1st to check on the Bug’s progress. They were actually on a road trip to San Diego — which was documented by TLC for a “Little People, Big World” episode — but Matt just had to get a sneak peek at his beloved Bug.
“They pulled up in their big motor home and out comes Zach, kicking his soccer ball around in our parking lot,” remembered Alma, 52, who as a fan of the Roloffs’ reality show knew that Zach is quite the soccer aficionado (and player). “It was unreal to see them right here like that — especially when you’re used to seeing them on TV.”
Henry, 66, agreed.
“It was exciting to have them here and the cameras, too,” he said. “But later, it just became normal to us and the Roloffs became friends.”
The Roloff family would visit Service 1st once more — on May 3, 2008 — this time, for the all-important “reveal” of the fully restored classic Bug.
With TLC cameras rolling — a sign posted on the shop’s front door warned unsuspecting Service 1st customers that they could wind up on TV — Henry and Rick did the honor of pulling off the tarp to reveal the completed “Bug Project.”
“You could see his (Matt’s) eyes just light up, he was so happy, so satisfied with how it all came out — you could tell just by looking at him and his smile,” Rick said. “The expression on his face was priceless.”
It was an emotional moment for everyone at Service 1st that day, Alma said.
“There were also tears in Matt’s eyes,” she said. “He was so happy!”
“And the show is really popular, not just here, but in other nations — Great Britain, Australia ... We’d like to think this is one more thing that puts Bakersfield on the map,” Henry said.
When all was said and done, the 11-member crew at Service 1st had made good on their word — and that e-mail.
“It was better than new,” said Henry of the final restoration results, adding that such a feat is actually always the goal at Service 1st — whether you’re a TV celebrity or not.
Family dream
For the Gonzales family, the last three years have represented a lifelong dream.
By opening their own shop, Henry and Alma were able to use all the industry knowledge they gained over the years when establishing a top-level business of their own.
As former insurance adjusters — Henry has also worked on and restored cars his whole life — the couple definitely knew what did (and didn’t) best serve customers.
From the very beginning — literally — of the process, the employees at Service 1st want clients to feel comfortable and well cared for, said the Gonzaleses.
When they walk into the shop’s lobby, customers are greeted by the smell of fresh popcorn — available for free a they walk in. There’s also candy to snack on and plenty of DVDs to watch on a flat screen TV while waiting on repairs or paperwork.
Tom works the front desk, welcoming customers like friends and helping them navigate the collision repair process.
“He’s really good — Tom is like our public relations person and our salesman,” Henry said.
Both Henry and Alma praised the whole staff at Service 1st, saying their business is successful because of hard work, good work and the team effort for excellence.
For Alma, an honorable work ethic is rooted in her upbringing, she said.
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Alma and her family waited for their opportunity to move to America, while her father worked as a bracero, the term used in the 1940s and ‘50s for a Mexican laborer permitted to work in the U.S. for a temporary period.
Today, Alma is not only the co-owner of a business, she is also the Kern County chapter president of the California Autobody Association.
And she’s been known to go toe-to-toe with insurance companies when she feels someone is not being presented with all their options and rights following an auto accident.
“Alma is a great organizer,” said her husband of 22 years. “She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Business is brisk at the 12,000-square-foot shop with its two buildings — where each month, an average of 40 cars are taken in for body work, repair, repainting and detailing.
But there is still time to keep up on the ever-changing auto industry. Tom and Rick take classes to stay abreast of new technologies and techniques.
An expert on hybrid cars was brought into the shop so the Service 1st mechanics could be properly trained to work on these “green” vehicles, Alma said.
Despite their busy schedules, Henry and Alma enjoy traveling together and being a part of their community. They attend Chamber of Commerce luncheons, Hispanic Republican events and are active members of Valley Bible Church.
“It’s important to get involved in the community,” said Alma, who emphasized the couple’s belief in a strong family foundation.
Since 1988, the Gonzales family has always lived in the same house in Country Home Estates — and though the area has sprung up numerous other neighborhoods over the years, it’s still just a three-stoplight commute to work.
“It takes us three minutes to get here — if we hit the light,” said Henry, who previously worked at Three-Way Chevrolet.
In April, Tom and his family delivered the one “Bug Project” piece left behind — that ol’ passenger door, the only piece that had to be completely replaced — to its rightful owner and attended the third season “wrap party” for “Little People, Big World.” The shindig took place at the recently expanded Roloff family home in Oregon, where the chrome yellow Bug now sits proudly in the driveway, not in the field.
And now that the TV cameras, reality show players and “The Bug Project” have left the building, life is back to normal at Service 1st. Of course, visitors to the shop can see an assortment of photos and mementos on display, documenting the unique encounter with the Roloff family.
“Hey, this all started from watching a TV show, sending an e-mail and we just went on a crazy adventure from there,” Ricky said. “It was really a lot of fun.”
So what was the fee charged for “The Bug Project?”
“To prove a point ...” Tom said. “We also get our pumpkins free for life ...”
As seen on TV ...
• Service 1st Collision Center of Bakersfield will be featured on TLC’s “Little People, Big World.”
• 8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 1
• TLC (check your local listings for channel & to verify time/date, which are subject to change)
Comments
I didn't see this episode, does anyone know where I can find it and watch it?