Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Opening a business during a pandemic
A Havelock mechanic has achieved a lifelong dream of owning his own garage, after choosing to take the plunge in the midst of a financial crisis.
When he took over Havelock’s only garage shortly after lockdown, many people told Ivan Daymond he was crazy to open a business.
‘‘Everyone told me it’s probably the worst time to start a business, [but] that was all the negative people,’’ he said.
‘‘And then the positive ones said give it a go, if you can make it through this you’ll make it through the good times.’’
At times his entire takings could be five dollars for the day, but he said it was worth it to provide a service the community needed.
‘‘It has its tough times, but it’s definitely a necessity needed in this town,’’ he said.
‘‘There was a while when there wasn’t a garage and a lot of people struggled with that.’’
Although the town had marine mechanics, and there were mechanics in nearby Canvastown, Daymond said they were the only local garage.
Daymond, who turned 22 shortly before buying the garage, said working on cars was in his blood.
He had been ‘‘tinkering and fixing cars’’ since he was seven, as his father had also worked as a mechanic in Wellington when he was young.
‘‘This place was always the dream me and my Dad had together,’’ he said.
‘‘We always said once the owner of the garage leaves, we’ll get in there and give it a go.’’
When his father died in 2018,
Daymond said he was put off the idea, but it had always been ‘‘on the backburner’’ long before Covid hit.
‘‘Eventually I thought bugger it, let’s do it,’’ he said.
The former owner of the garage moved on shortly after lockdown, and Daymond decided to buy him out, establishing Havelock Automotive 2020 Ltd.
Six weeks later he was joined by friend Jacob Withers, who moved up from Christchurch to help him run the business.
Daymond said the support of the Havelock community had been a huge help in establishing the business.
‘‘We’re all pretty supportive of each other.’’