About Popular Mechanix

Chapter One
In 1981, Popular Mechanix founder and owner Andy Gescheidt opened a repair shop called Million Mile Motors in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood between 9th and 10th Streets and Folsom and Howard. “We fixed anything that rolled,” Andy recalls.“We shared the building with another repair shop called Perpetual Motors. But Million Mile Motors and Perpetual Motors weren’t destined to continue. In 1983, the San Francisco Fire Department condemned our unreinforced masonry building and both auto repair shops found themselves homeless.”

Chapter Two
Andy and Perpetual Motors owner Ed Wolf decided to join forces and specialize in Volvos. They became partners, named their new business Popular Mechanix and established Popular Mechanix in 1983 in the space on 14th Street it still occupies today almost 20 years later. Andy became full owner of Popular Mechanix in 1992. One of Andy’s first customers Peter Nagai-Rothe helped Andy start Popular Mechanix through its predecessor Million Mile with a $500 loan as working capital. Nagai-Rothe has since owned five Volvos and remains a loyal customer of Popular Mechanix to this day!

Chapter Three
In 1998, Andy was the victim of a freak accident, which almost took his life and shut down Popular Mechanix. A dewired trolley pole from a Muni bus fell and struck Andy in the back of the head as he was walking down Market Street on a Saturday afternoon, throwing him to the sidewalk and fracturing his skull. He was in a coma for a month and was not expected to live. But live he did, and he has made a miraculous recovery. He is now back at work full time still continuing, in his words,"to get better and better each day" - and loving and appreciating every minute of his life and his work. When Andy says it is a pleasure to see you and to serve you, he means it in a profound way! He says he owes his recovery in large part to Dr. Claudia Osborne, whose book Over My Head, about her own brain injury suffered in a car accident, helped him know what to do.