Handing over the keys
Barrow to retire after 40 years in business
BY ALYSSA MEIER
After manning the helm at JB Repair in Garrison for 40 years, Jim Barrow will retire this year, selling the business to an employee of 10 years.
Barrow, who operates the business with his wife, Jean, started the adventure out of a farm shop in 1981, later renting the Farmers Union Building across the street from what would become JB Repair’s permanent home on 2nd Street NW.
“It was nice having my own property,” Jim said. “When I needed to do something to the property, I could take care of it.”
Jim has operated the business out of the building since 1993, practicing a lifelong love for the industry even as it faced dramatic changes.
“The biggest change is all the electronics,” Jim said. “Everything is computerized … Engines last so much longer than they used to. There have been advancements in everything, even brakes.”
