Pioneer Muffler making move
Matthew Weaver/Columbia Basin HeraldDenys Ottmar stands outside the site where she and husband Joe have operated Pioneer Muffler for 27 years the afternoon of Feb. 20. The business will move to a new location "500 feet up the road" on Wheeler Road this week.
MOSES LAKE — Denys and Joe Ottmar can see their old building from their new building.
Beginning March 1, they will open Pioneer Muffler and Brake at 622 E. Wheeler Road, a move from its longtime location at Five Corners.
"So about 500 feet up the road," Denys said with a laugh, adding the name of the business will not be changing. "It's just going to be on Wheeler Road instead of Pioneer."
Denys said three investment companies are purchasing the ground of the original location.
"I guess, depending on which one of them ends up signing on the dotted line, they'll make that decision," on what would happen to the building, she said. "I'd obviously like to see them put something here that would be beneficial to the community, something that the community is missing."
Denys said she would be curious to see what the general public would like to see happen to the building.
"I think it's sad to see one of the main-stay buildings go, but depending on what goes into it, as far as whatever type of business were to come in here," she said. "I would imagine it's going to be leveled."
The muffler shop opened in 1979. Joe purchased it in 1981 right out of high school, Denys said, and has been running it ever since.
Prior to that, it had been a fuel station. A businessman who owned several muffler shops originally launched the operation. Joe went to work for him while in high school, and discovered he loved the trade.
"He pretty much learned what he could learn from (the businessman) and just took off from there," Denys said of her husband of 20 years. "And yes, we work together and live together. And it works good for us."
Denys is sure the building is one of the original buildings in Moses Lake. Longtime Moses Lake resident Bob Trask Sr., who owned the Basin Motel next to Pioneer Muffler and Brake, where Godfather's Pizza is now located, estimated the building was built around 1936 to 1938.
After 27 years, Denys called the move "an unknown experience," but she believes it's for the better, offering easier access for customers and the ability to work on farmers' equipment year-round. In the past, the operation could not work on larger vehicles with its outside hoist during the winter months.
"I always believe change is good," she said, "especially if it's change for the better."
The family-owned operation could see an increase in employees if the move warrants it, Denys said, pointing at the accessibility and the room to do more work. She added the business will be able to do more fabrication welding, but the focus will primarily be on exhaust and brake repair.
Denys said her favorite part of the work is the customers, and she has had the opportunity to meet "some very interesting people," from travelers to people with long-standing roots in the community.
Denys thinks the outlook is good for Pioneer Muffler's future.
"I think in a small business that's locally owned and operated, I believe that in order for a small business to remain in business, you have to make changes for yourself as well as your customers," she said, adding she believes the move will benefit Pioneer Muffler's customers the most. "We're easily found. We're not moving across town, we're moving up the road."
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