Tony Michael at The Village Garage in Archway

BY FELIX BRIGHT

A MECHANIC has decided to sell the garage in Archway he opened almost 45 years ago, in a bid to lower his overheads, amid the rising costs of rent.

Tony Michael, 68, is closing the doors of The Village Garage on Cressida Road, Archway, and “going mobile,” after selling the spot he has occupied since 1982 to new operators.

The new owners will move in September 1, with Mr Michael hoping to continue to run his business online using the trust he has built over the years.

Mr Michael, a Rolls Royce certified mechanic who works on “all sorts of cars,” told the Tribune.

“Small garages like mine are disappearing. People are being forced to move further and further out of London.”

“When I opened there were garages everywhere, now there’s only one or two that service this area”

“On the one hand I’m sad, but on the other I am excited to enter a new chapter of my life.”

Mr Michael said he refused to be disheartened.

“For a while now businesses like mine have been forced online if they want to stay close to central London,” he said.

“But I do believe this will be the best thing for me – I’m getting older and when it’s time to go it’s time to go.”

Mr Michael described how retaining the network of clients he has built over the years is essential to the survival of his business.

“I still need my clients and I hope they need me too,” he said.

His long list of customers includes lifelong author and broadcaster Julia Hobsbawm OBE, who lives nearby.

She told the Tribune: “Tony is one of life’s unsung professional heroes. To have a mechanic of his calibre on your doorstep was a godsend.”

When asked if she will still use Mr Michael, despite the lack of a physical presence in Cressida Road, she added: “Of course, he is an original and a one off who has become a close friend, even attending my late husband’s funeral.

“He is very much part of the community.”

After almost five decades of fixing cars from his corner of Islington, Mr Michael said: “I would like to thank all the local residents who have been bringing their cars to me all these years.”

“I wish the new owner all the best and hope they have as long a career as I have.”