Do you live in Lower Merion or Narberth? Then don’t be surprised if, in the coming weeks, somebody asks you to recommend a place where they can get their car serviced. Or just as likely – you and maybe your parents and possibly even your grandparents, for as long you can remember, have relied upon Dick Costa and his crew on Montgomery Avenue for inspections, tune-ups and repairs. And now you’re in the market for a new shop.
On Friday (March 29), Costa’s 51-year run will come to an end.
In 1973, when he was 19 and the price of gasoline was $.299/gallon, Dick Costa opened his shop on Montgomery Avenue where a Mobil gas station had previously been located. Over the years Costa’s built a large and fiercely loyal following. One of their customers compared the shop’s closing to the retirement of a medical doctor who had treated multiple generations of the same family.
Dick Costa and longtime employee Sherry DeCaro.