Owner: Eric Henricks
Shop: Henricks’ Auto Service
Location: Grove City, Pennsylvania
Eric Henricks, owner of Henricks’ Auto Service in Grove City, Pennsylvania recently added to his tool storage system and upped its convenience when he purchased a Cornwell Pro Series five-drawer cart with a slide top.
After seeing one of his technicians purchase the Cornwell cart (and finding himself rather enamored with it), Henricks went ahead and bought one for himself. He still uses his old toolbox, a Homak he bought years ago, to house some of his lesser-used tools; but the majority of his tools have been moved into the cart.
Henricks is a big fan of the overall convenience that a tool cart offers.
“I have three bays, and I can move [the cart] to whichever bay I’m in. It’s not like a gigantic toolbox that if I pulled [it] over, [it] would take up [a lot of] space,” Henricks says.
Not only can he move the cart from job to job around the shop, but the slide top also enables him to put all his essential hand tools inside. Henricks can keep about 80 percent of the tools he needs at each site. This is by far one of his favorite parts of owning this cart.
The Grove City shop owner actively seeks out features to enhance mobility and convenience in his tool storage setup, and he looks for the same in his tools. Henricks' favorite tool is his cordless electric impact set because he’s able to move around without dragging an air hose around with him.
Henricks’ organization system for his tools is simple: wrenches with wrenches, sockets with sockets, etc. etc.
“Everything [is] in a specific order so that I know which drawer [the tool] is in pretty much without even looking,” Henricks says. “[I] can just reach back and open that drawer and I know where the tools are.”
Henricks’ start in the vehicle repair industry dates all the way back to 1963 when his father opened the repair business in Grove City.
“We’ve had various locations around town,” Henricks says. “We used to have gas and towing, [but] we’ve streamlined it down to just doing the automotive service and fleet automotive work for several of the companies around [the area]. I took over about 10 years ago, full time.”
In addition to general repairs, Henricks’ shop replaces engines and transmissions, as well as sells tires.
Henricks’ career as a full-time technician in the automotive repair world began in 1993, and now, about 26 years later, Henricks’ two sons are taking an interest and starting their own paths into the automotive industry.
“My oldest son is in the auto mechanics classes up at the local vocational school,” Henricks says, “and he aspires to take over someday. So hopefully, we have three generations here.”
Cameron, age 16 and Connor, age 13, love spending time in the shop with their father. Cameron has his own toolbox already and the start of his own tool collection.
In terms of his own tool storage system though, Henricks says there will definitely be more toolbox purchases in the future.
