Shift Auto Worx providing niche automotive services

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Taber Times

By Trevor Busch
Taber Times
editor@tabertimes.com

Shift Auto Worx has set up shop in Taber’s industrial area offering specialized automotive work and accessories for those hoping to spruce up their rides. 

Owner Johnny Enns says the doors opened in May 2021 and he hasn’t looked back. 

“Right in the middle of COVID. The first year was slow, which was kind of to be expected. But pretty well exactly the one year mark, it just kind of took off and it’s been busy since.”

Enns had been employed in the industry previous to opening his own shop.

“This is what I enjoy doing. And I did work at another shop and there’s just some things there that I wanted to change, I wasn’t happy over there anymore. So I was like, ‘you know what, I’ll be my own boss’.”

Enns concentrates on offering specialized work.

“Mainly just the auto accessories like your lift kits, stereos, remote starters, lighting, towing stuff. It’s a fairly large net.”

He has a competitor in the community but says he offers what they don’t, and vice versa.

“The only real competitor that does kind of what we do is Prime Auto Accessories. There’s things that they do that I don’t, and there’s things that I do that they don’t. So there’s certain things that I do that they don’t just because it’s a bit more in my wheelhouse. And they might have picked some of this stuff up that I’m doing now.”

Building customer loyalty and quality of service are important for Enns.

“It’s up at the very, very top, right? I want people coming back. And so if you treat them well, they’ll most likely come back. Do good work, excellent work at a fair price.”

Enns says he could use a little more space than he has currently in his shop at 5608 62 Street.

“The actual location, I like. The space is a little tight. But I’m new, right? So I kind of gotta live with what I have.”

Enns offers a special tax savings event around Cornfest in August.

“I just do a ‘save the GST’ event right around Cornfest because that’s kind of a big time for Taber just in general. Then I put that all over social media, pay for the ads and that kind of stuff. So that I can reach a bit more people than just throwing it up on my Facebook page.”

As an enthusiast himself, Enns wants to expand into motorcycle work in the future.

“I would like to get into a bit more of the motorcycle end of things as well, because I’m a biker and it’d be nice to meet more people like me.”