Hare Creek Automotive

Overview

Hare Creek Automotive at 18781 N. Highway 1 is part of Fort Bragg's history of highway-oriented automotive businesses.

The property has the practical layout of a working automotive facility, with service bays, paved areas and room for vehicles. Over the years, it has been associated with gasoline sales, muffler and exhaust work, general automotive repairs and vehicle sales.

Community recollections identify J and R Shell and Mendo Muffler as important earlier businesses at the location. Hare Creek Automotive became the later name associated with the property.

Location

18781 N. Highway 1 is situated along the southern approach to Fort Bragg, near Hare Creek.

Unlike downtown commercial storefronts, this property was developed around automobile access and service. Its highway frontage, work areas and vehicle space made it suitable for gasoline stations, mechanical repairs and other automotive operations.

History

Community memories place a Shell service station at the location by the mid-1970s. The business was remembered as J and R Shell, with the station occupying the left side of the property and Mendo Muffler operating on the right.

Another resident recalled a possible earlier Richfield station associated with brothers Bill and Dennis Silveri. Although the brothers were remembered as operating gasoline stations in the area, their connection to this particular property remains unconfirmed.

Mendo Muffler was reportedly established by Gary Baumgardner, who was associated with the Mendocino area. Gary Presley was also remembered as a mechanic connected with the business.

The ownership sequence was clarified through family recollections. Gary Baumgardner started Mendo Muffler, later selling it to Bob Hunt, who subsequently sold the business to Tim Avey. Hunt was remembered as operating Mendo Muffler during the 1980s, although exact ownership dates have not been established.

Hare Creek Automotive eventually became the property's best-known later business, providing automotive repairs and vehicle sales. Its facilities continued the property's longstanding association with servicing automobiles along Highway 1.

The exact transition from the earlier service station and muffler operations to Hare Creek Automotive has not been fully established. The property's current ownership and operating arrangements also remain unconfirmed.

Community Memories

Longtime residents remember the Shell station as a familiar stop along Highway 1 during the 1970s. The identification of J and R Shell helped preserve a business name that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Mendo Muffler brought back memories of its early owners and mechanics. Initial recollections differed about who established the business and who purchased it later, but confirmation from Tim Avey's son helped establish the sequence involving Gary Baumgardner, Bob Hunt and Tim Avey.

Another memory connected the location with the possibility of an earlier Richfield station operated by the Silveri brothers, although the specific address could not be confirmed.

One former customer recalled an unpleasant experience involving a Volvo timing-belt repair. That account remains an individual recollection rather than an independently established finding about the business.

Together, these memories preserve the people, businesses and everyday experiences associated with a working automotive property that has been familiar to Fort Bragg residents for decades.

Why It Matters

Hare Creek Automotive represents a part of Fort Bragg's commercial history that can easily be overlooked.

Gasoline stations and automotive repair shops may not have the architectural distinction of downtown landmarks, but they provided essential services to residents and travelers along the Mendocino Coast.

The property's history connects the Shell stations of the 1970s, the specialty repair businesses of the 1980s and the automotive operations that followed.

Most importantly, community recollections preserve the names J and R Shell and Mendo Muffler, along with the people who operated them. Without those memories, much of this everyday business history could disappear as owners, businesses and properties change.