Churchill Tire Employee Keeps Auto Shop Alive in Northfield's Downtown

Art Bartz was an employee of Churchill Tire for four years until the downtown Northfield auto shop shuttered its doors a couple weeks ago.

But Bartz wasn't ready to give up and today, with the help of Churchill's former owner Milan Hart, Bartz opened his own auto shop, "Automotive Arts," at Churchill's 517 Water St. S location.

“Everything we’ve worked on together has ended with good results,” Bartz told the Northfield News, describing his partnership with Hart. “We’ve known each other nine years and have worked together much of that. This (Churchill Tire) by far has been my favorite.”

Bartz said he wasn't ready to see close a business that had been a fixture of Northfield's downtown for nearly 30 years.

“We want to take everything that was good about the place and make it better,” he said. “We can definitely learn from our mistakes and successes. The focus will be more on customer satisfaction and the quality of service we offer.”

The Northfield News has more on Bartz and Hart's business arrangement:

Hart helped finance the store and he and Bartz have come up with a payback plan that will be beneficial to both.

“I’m happy to be a part of this,” Hart said. “I merely helped him get a start in a business I know will be successful. I really think it will be a great situation.”

As part of the relationship, Bartz will refer much of the commercial tire work to Hart, who runs Hart Bros. Tire Co. in Savage. Bartz will do all of the automotive work.