On a construction-ravaged street near the shadows of Cheetah's topless lounge, Steve Stiver sat in the office of his small auto repair shop Thursday afternoon.
As mechanics outside the doorway went about their duties, the 62-year-old business owner quietly pondered the end of an era.
For more than five decades, members of Stiver's family have worked in the auto repair industry in Southern Nevada. With little fanfare, that will come to an end at the close of business today when Stiver and his partner permanently close the doors to their Stiver Car Care shop at 2300 Western Ave.
A changing economy, the desire to move on and the advancing age of its principals all factored into the closure of the 54-year-old family business.
Walking away from such a significant chapter in his life won't be easy, Stiver said.
"We're digging out some tools we haven't used for years," Stiver said as he shifted through his belongings. "It really brings back memories."
The local history of Stiver Car Care began when Harry Truman occupied the White House, Stan Musial reigned as the National League's Most Valuable Player and less than 60,000 people called Clark County home.
In 1948, Harvey Stiver moved to Las Vegas from Pasadena, Calif., to open a Union Oil service station near the intersection of Fremont and Bruce streets. It didn't take long before he put his young son Steve to work.
"I did my first brake job on a 1940 Chrysler when I was 12 years old," Stiver said. "Excluding three years I spent in the Navy, I've worked here for 50 years."
As Las Vegas grew, the business moved to a location near Maryland Parkway and Sierra Vista Drive. Between serving customers, Stiver and his colleagues would spend their free time driving golf balls across the street into a vacant lot that now houses the Boulevard Mall.
"There wasn't anything out there back then," Stiver said.
Harvey Stiver died in 1975, but Stiver Car Care never left the family's control. Shortly after his father's death, Steve formed a partnership with Ed Pribyl, a longtime friend who worked for the business since his days as a Las Vegas High School classmate of former Sen. Richard Bryan and gambling legend Jack Binion.
"I started working for Harvey in 1953 and it's been a labor of love ever since," Pribyl said.
The business moved to Western Avenue 13 years ago.
It's been a multi-family affair. Following in his father's footsteps, Steve Stiver had his children pumping gas and changing oil at the station at various points throughout the years.
"My two sons worked here for a time, but my daughter Kris may have been the best mechanic of them all," Stiver said.
And like his father, Pribyl's son Loren, now 43, has worked at the station since he was in high school, most recently as general manager.
In its heyday, Stiver said the business sold more than 1 million gallons of gas per year, primarily to nearby industrial corporations that filled the tanks of their heavy work trucks each morning. As its primary commercial customers gradually moved away from the area, however, those gasoline sales fell.
"It's not as profitable as it once was," Stiver said, adding the owners decided against selling the business. They don't own the real estate it operates from.
Along with decreased revenue, Stiver said the high cost of modern repair equipment, increased competition and the specialized service requirements of newer vehicles helped finalize the decision to close the shop and release its seven employees.
His partner plans to devote more time to working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife and other agencies that assist the preservation efforts of the state's Desert Bighorn Sheep.
"It's hard to walk away from, but when you've been at it for 48 going on 49 years, it's kind of time to sit back and take it easy," Pribyl said.
As he milled about the undercarriage of a Plymouth Voyager Thursday afternoon, Pribyl appeared in no hurry to leave. He didn't want to dwell on what would happen once the vehicles involved with Stiver Car Care's final repair orders were driven away. Instead, he spoke fondly of days gone bye.
"(Former boxer) Sonny Liston was a good customer of ours, and we did all sorts of work for people from the old shows on the Strip," Pribyl said. "We've always had a very good customer base and Harvey would be proud that we've been able to carry on his name in the business and still have a good reputation among our customers. We don't have to hide our heads when we tell people where we worked."
archive