Bryan Harris, who owns Harris Auto Repair, 811 E. 23rd St., has loved cars since he was 12 years old. His family moved from Lawrence when he was a child, but he and his wife returned after visiting Kansas for his grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

When Bryan Harris’ family moved to Utah when he was in second grade, he didn’t dream he’d return to Lawrence one day and open his own successful auto repair business. If it hadn’t been for his grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary celebration in Lawrence, he might still be living and working in the fast-paced “it needs to be fixed today” culture of California.

Harris caught the car bug early.

“I got underneath my dad’s car when I was 12 and was hooked,” he recalls.

“I got my first car, a 1956 Chevrolet, at 16 but couldn’t get it to run. I fixed up my second one, a 1955 Ford, and it ran great.”

He took general auto repair classes at Olympus High School, Salt Lake City, and worked in an auto repair shop after graduating in 1970. He moved to California a year later with his parents, and immediately found a mechanic’s job and another love.

“I saw Robin in the auto shop. It was love at first sight,” Harris says.

“She was still at high school, so I had to wait a year before I asked her father for permission to marry her. Robin graduated on Wednesday, and we married on the Saturday. It was an eventful week.”

Harris moved into a management position with Firestone.

“It was a great experience, but I wanted to return to being a mechanic,” he says.

The family moved to Sunnymead, Calif., and he worked as a mechanic until he made a road trip to Lawrence in 1984 to celebrate his grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

“It was one of those perfect September weeks with temperatures in the mid-70s and low humidity,” Harris recalls.

“Robin had only been out of California once before on our honeymoon. She fell in love with Lawrence.”

They returned to California, sold their house and moved to Lawrence. Harris became partial owner of Performance Tire and Wheel, sold his share in 2000 and opened his own shop in rented premises at Haskell. He purchased the present premises at 811 E. 23rd St. in 2003. His wife and two sons now work in the business.

“The pace of life is wonderful here,” Harris says. “In California people demanded to have major repairs done within hours. Nothing could wait. When my first Lawrence customer needed a clutch replaced he said he’d pick the car up the following week. I couldn’t believe it.”

Harris admits the auto repair business hasn’t always had the best reputation because some companies overcharge for unneeded repairs.

“I’ve made it a policy to explain everything carefully to the customer and give them costs before I repair their car,” Harris says.

“Sometimes I’ve stripped an engine for a major repair and found the problem can be corrected by replacing a minor part. I adjust the costs accordingly and give the customer the good news. I like to treat customers the way I’d like to be treated, and take care of their cars as if they were my own.”

His policy works. Harris’ business has just celebrated 10 years in Lawrence.