MJR Auto to buy Gregg and Jim’s Service

Gregg and Jim’s Service in Golden Valley is changing owners.

Matt Majerus, owner of MJR Auto in Robbinsdale, is buying from owners Jim Pavek and Gregg Malik.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye for Pavek and Malik, who have been working in the shop for nearly 50 years.

“I’m kinda melancholy about the whole deal,” Malik said, “but that’s part of life, you know? That’s my next chapter.”

The transition will be celebrated later this summer. There will be a barbecue party with hamburgers, hotdogs and refreshments set for 3:30 p.m. Friday, August 9 at Gregg and Jim’s Service, 1900 Douglas Drive North, Golden Valley.

Majerus told the Sun Post on April 30 the he hadn’t decided if Gregg and Jim’s Service would be renamed.

“I don’t wanna alienate any of those customers,” he said.

The mechanics were scheduled to finalize their paperwork on Tuesday, May 7, after this article went to press.

Gregg and Jim’s Service

Malik remembers wanting to be a mechanic even as a small child. His grandfather owned a service station and his father worked there.

“I used to go there on the weekends and help my grandpa and my dad change oil,” Malik said.

A little later, in 1976, Malik’s dad bought the business now known as Gregg and Jim’s Service.

“When my dad bought this I was 12,” Malik remembered. “I worked for my dad — I wasn’t a full-time employee, I was a kid.”

Malik adored the work and viewed his occupation as being a type of public servant.

“Working on cars? It’s great,” Malik said. “You take apart something that’s broken and you put it back together and it fires up...It feels good. But what makes me feel better than that is just the customers appreciating the stuff being done.”

Malik also spent time in the military.

“In 1983 my dad still owned it, and I joined the service. I did 20 years of army reserve. So I still worked for my dad.”

Pavek said he started working for Malik’s father at the age of 17. In 2003, Malik and Pavek created Gregg and Jim’s Service.

“In 2003 my dad retired and Jim and myself bought him out and it was perfect timing because then I got my 20 years in the military,” Malik explained.

For Malik, quality service is very important. The business has 4.7 stars from 109 reviews on Google.

“When I was a kid, my grandfather said ‘You gotta do a good job or the whole neighborhood’s gonna hear about it.’ Nowadays, if you don’t do a good job, the world’s gonna hear about it...We really pride ourselves on what people say about us,” Malik said.

Malik said the pandemic did not slow business at all, and the shop remains quite busy.

“It’s been a great run,” Malik said. “...we have third-generation families coming in here that don’t even live in the area.”

After three generations of mechanics, Malik’s sons were not interested in being mechanics.

“They said I worked too hard,” Malik said with a laugh.

MJR Auto

Now, Majerus of Crystal will buy the service station. This is Majerus’s second auto repair shop, as he owns MJR Auto in Robbinsdale. His business also 4.7 stars on Google. Marjerus said he hopes to have eight locations eventually and told the Sun Post he was very excited about Gregg and Jim’s Service.

“Gregg and Jim’s is probably one of the most adored local businesses in this area,” Majerus said. “It’s been a super privilege to be able to acquire them.”

The mechanic promises to continue business as usual once he takes over. All the employees at Gregg and Jim’s Service will continue working there. Malik said he plans to help with the transition.

Majerus has lived in Minnesota, California, Arkansas and Iowa. It was when he lived on the family farm in Marne, Iowa where he learned to love machinery.

“I’ve just been working on cars all my life,” Majerus explained.

For Majerus, being a mechanic is all about being able to “fix cars and get dirty” while performing a service to the community. It’s “a good giving-back situation,” he said.

“There’s guys that like to fix cars and just stay in the back room, not talk to anybody,” Majerus said. “And there’s guys that enjoy all aspects of it. I’m one of those guys where I’ve always enjoyed helping people and fixing their cars.”

Majerus became a mechanic in the 1990s and began MJR Auto in 2021.

Jesse Majerus, Matt’s 16-year-old son and Maple Grove High School sophomore, said he hopes to go to a technical school and become a certified mechanic like his dad.

“I’ve enjoyed working on cars and putting stuff together and taking stuff apart since I can remember,” Jesse said. “This happens to be something that I really like.”

“He’s picked up on it real fast,” Matt said of Jesse’s mechanical knowledge.

Rosemary Majerus, Jesse’s mother and Matt Majerus’s spouse, who is not a mechanic, works full time in at the Erickson Mediation Institute. However, Rosemary said people will probably see her at the new location doing logistics and “IT-type stuff.”

“They have this family feel over there, and I’m excited that we will be able to continue that,” Rosemary said. “Because we have a real family feeling over in Robbinsdale at our other location, and I feel like we will be able to keep their legacy kind of going as it’s a family-owned place.”

MJR Auto is the first letter of three names: Matt, Jesse and Rosemary.