L-R: Harlow Auto Repair mechanics David Green, Dave Goodwind and Todd Elliott, manager Bill Solie, and owner Mike Harlow, standing in the new building a week before its opening.

Mike Harlow has tried to build a good reputation for his shop, Harlow Auto Repair, ever since he opened doors after remodeling an abandoned building in Bremerton in 1988. Little did he know that recently, that reputation had traveled as far as Seattle.

The shop was rated as having the highest marks in Kitsap County by the Puget Sound Consumer Checkbook in the recent edition, and fared very well when compared to shops all over the region. Harlow didn't know anything about the rating until someone drove all the way from Seattle to have his car repaired.

“He said he came over because we had the highest rating in the book,” said manager Bill Solie, who's been working at Harlow since 1993.

Despite the wide outreach, Harlow says they are a neighborhood shop. While some customers come from Poulsbo and Gig Harbor for big-ticket jobs, for services like oil changes, breaks and other routine tasks they “recommend to do it locally.”

Harlow was born in the Seattle area and had moved away for several years. His roots run deep in Kitsap: His great-grandfather and grandfather lived in Bremerton, and his father retired in Poulsbo. Having his own business had been a dream, and when he saw an abandoned building on Perry Avenue during a visit, he decided to take the opportunity, and moved back to the Puget Sound area with the goal of opening a business.

It took a while to grow the customer base, and the shop has tried to do that by treating customers right.

“We've always had good reputation. Most of our new customers are from word of mouth and referrals,” Harlow said. The company doesn't advertise except for the phone book.

The shop overhead is kept as low as possible, so the low cost for services can be passed on to customers. “We give (our customers) an honest repair at an honest price,” Solie said. “When we saw (the rating), it was nice to see our business practices affirmed by somebody else.”

Solie said their biggest asset is the fact they honor their repairs 100 percent.

The shop, which has five employees, has been staying busy. In mid-October, the business was expanded to a building next door, which has six new bays and can accommodate larger vehicles including RVs.

The new building has been in the dream stage for about five years, and Harlow spent most of his time last year working on it. The building was designed specifically for an auto repair shop - versus converting an existing building to accommodate bays. In-ground, dual front lifts and state-of-the-art electronic diagnostic equipment will help make the repairs more efficient.

“The shop is built with technicians in mind…yet to be efficient,” Harlow said.

Harlow said he was pleasantly surprised to see his business' rating, because “in any kind of business, you can't keep everybody happy 100 percent of the time.” But getting such recognition, which is based on customer feedback that is solicited directly by the publication, helps confirm their business practices.