Kiva's Automotive: helping their clients go from stressed to blessed!
For as far back as he can remember, Kiva Preston has loved tinkering with things - finding out how they work from the inside, out. When he was a youngster, he would often take his toys apart for this very purpose, but his passion was in putting them back together!
“Anything that had screws and nuts and bolts - I’d take apart! I actually dreamed of having my own automotive shop when I got older,” Kiva said.
By the age of 8, Kiva started his first entrepreneurial efforts. When his grandparents bought a new lawn mower, he asked if he could have the old one that no longer worked. He looked it over, fiddled with it a bit, and sure enough, Kiva got that old lawnmower running once again. He began knocking on neighbor’s doors and asking if he could mow their lawns.
He used some of his hard earned mowing money and bought himself a dirt bike, which arrived in parts and Kiva built it piece by piece. He was so proud!
By his preteen years, Kiva had already been helping family members work on their cars for a few years, and his knowledge of the inner workings of vehicles was quickly becoming vast.
In fact, Kiva bought his very first car for a few hundred bucks around the age of 13. It had a few things wrong with it but sure enough! Kiva figured it all out and the car was running well in no time!
How Kiva’s Automotive got started
Before starting Kiva’s Automotive, Kiva spent several years working in other car maintenance and repair shops. Kiva loved his time working for these other shops because that’s where he gained more knowledge and experience in the field of mechanics. A few of Kiva’s colleagues told him “If I were you, I wouldn’t quit because starting your own business probably wont work.” But Kiva’s vision was clear: one day, he would have his own repair shop located right here in Appomattox.
On February 24, 2016, Kiva officially filled papers at the courthouse to begin his new business, called Kiva’s Automotive.
(Writer’s note: If you’ve lived in Appomattox since before 2016 - you might recognize this date as the day of the destructive tornado that barreled through the Appomattox community of Evergreen. Kiva recalls he was able to get his business license just before the courthouse closed early due that day to the tornado warnings!)
Kiva’s Automotive started out humbly, in a rented storage unit which had two garage style doors, but no car lift! Kiva was passionate about working on cars and he was thankful for the space to do so. As word got out that Kiva had his own shop, more and more customers began to appear.
After Kiva’s Automotive had been in business for about a year and a half, the business had outgrown the storage building and needed more space. (A lift would be appreciated too!) At the same time, another local mechanic’s shop, Andy’s Auto Care also outgrew the space they were in. Andy’s moved to a larger facility, and then Kiva’s moved into Andy’s old shop. This was a win-win situation!
Kiva says he is grateful to the other automobile shops in Appomattox. Though they all offer mostly the same services, they treat each other like neighbors instead of competitors. They send customers to each other if they can’t meet the client’s need, and they support each other in a variety of other ways too.
Automobile repair and maintenance
If your car is going clickity-clack when it should be going vroom-vroom, it’s time to take it to the shop! Kiva and his team of skilled and dedicated mechanics know how to manage a challenge. In their shop, they like to start on big projects on Mondays, giving them ample time to work on each vehicle that needs repair.
Mondays through Thursdays, maintenance and repairs are managed by appointment. At the end of each week, Kiva’s Automotive hosts “Walk-In Fridays,” where they welcome walk-ins for smaller jobs like brake work or wiper replacements, tires, state inspections, and oil changes.
That’s not to say you can’t have these services done at Kiva’s any day of the week. The team just prefers if you’d make an appointment Monday through Thursday. This cuts down on wait times. Kiva’s also has a recently remodeled waiting area for those who wish to wait for their car to be serviced.
One thing that Kiva and his wife Donna appreciate about having a business in their hometown of Appomattox is how people treat you like family. When people come by to visit, that reassures us that we’re doing something good here… it feels good,” Donna said.
Kiva and Donna are so appreciative of the support that they have received from the Appomattox Community! On average, Kiva’s Automotive services between 10 and 15 cars a day.
Kiva’s Passions
Not only does Kiva’s Automotive support local youth sports (and a lot of them, too: soccer, basketball, softball, football…), Kiva Preston also shows up at the games to give support to the teams. The kids know him well!
Kiva believes it’s important that kids know they are a valued part of this community (and every community.) He also believes in being a good male role model for kids in the community who may not have one. “The reason I like to help the kids is because kids are our future, and a lot of people forget about that,” Kiva said.
Kiva’s passion for all things mechanical has transpired through the years into his successful business today. Not only is he able to continue his joy-filled work of working on cars, he and Donna are also able to employ a team of skilled mechanics who work well together, ensuring their clients are as safe as possible on the roads.
Kiva also has a passion for helping people feel good. He says that happens daily when his clients come in with a stressful car problem, and leave with a smile on their faces and their car problems solved.
“One of the reasons I like fixing cars is that I just like to make people feel better. If something’s going on with your car and you’re having a bad day, if I can fix it for you and I can make you happy, I feel better. I like to fix people’s bad days if I possibly can,” Kiva explained. Kiva also believes in keeping his service prices reasonable, which allows his customers to spend their hard earned money on other things they might need or want.
Kiva’s Automotive is located at 1568 Confederate Boulevard in Appomattox. They service cars, trucks and SUV’s in a variety of ways including engine repair, brake work, AC repair, oil changes (regular and synthetic), battery, tire and lightbulb replacements, state inspections and more! They also offer a line of clothing for sale including shirts, hats, hoodies, beanies, and cups, which are all made by other local businesses in the community.
Kiva’s Automotive is open Monday through Friday, 8am until 5pm. You can call them at 434-221-6809 to inquire about your car’s maintenance or repair. You can also reach the shop by email at Kivasautomotive@icloud.com, too (though, for immediate car care needs, give them a call!) Be sure to find and follow Kiva’s Automotive on Facebook as well.
This article was written by Teresa Davis and is a paid advertisement. Some photos were provided by Kiva’s Automotive.
If you are interested in promoting your business on the Appomattox Happenings website, email, and social media, contact Teresa Davis through the contact form below or email appomattoxhappenings@gmail.com
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