The Elk Garage Story, as told by Bob Matson. (Originally published at www.elkgarage.com)
The Elk Garage was established in 1901 by my grandfather, John Matson. He was 18 years old, a Swedish immigrant and a blacksmith. Originally the Elk Garage was a blacksmith shop and a livery stable. Eventually blacksmithing gave way to auto repair.
In a devastating fire in 1924 the original blacksmith shop and the livery stable burned down giving way to the new Elk Garage at its present site.
Through the years, in addition to general auto repair the Elk Garage has been a dealership for Ford, Plymouth, Maxwell, and Studebaker cars, as well as John Deere tractors and General Electric appliances. Also in 1924 the California State Automobile Association contract was awarded to the Elk Garage which carries through to the present day, making us the second oldest contract station in CA.
The Elk Garage survived the Great Depression of the 1930’s in spite of the fact that the large redwood mill closed in 1929.
In 1939 John’s son, Melvin graduated from the University of CA and came back to join John in the business. After a 4-year absence in the Richmond Shipyards during WWII, Melvin came back to run the Elk Garage full time.
The Studebaker dealership was given up in 1953 and the Elk Garage continued on as a auto repair shop and Shell service station. Also in 1953 the second sawmill was built in Elk which bolstered the town’s economy through the 1950’s and 60’s.
In 1971, after graduating from Sonoma State University, Melvin’s son Bob joined him in the business.
The second lumber mill closed in 1968 and Elk was carried forth by a large population of young urbanites seeking to get back to the earth. Through the 70’s and onto the present day we have been able to maintain a local coastal customer base that has sustained us.
The Next Generation – The Matson Mercantile
Bob and his wife, Susan, have three daughters: Kristi, Becky, and Liza. Susan started the popular Roadhouse Cafe in 1980, located in the old auto showroom, which today is run by Lynn Derrick as Queenie’s Roadhouse Cafe. The daughters grew up working in the family restaurant, and while none of them went into auto repair, Kristi did on occasion run the pump island for her Grandpa Mel.
Opened on November 24, 2017, “The Merc”, as it is affectionately called, was created by the three daughters as a way to sustain the family business and continue to serve the community of Elk.
