Photos from the past four decades capture the history of the Glory to God auto shop.
Sarah Katherine Sisk | Collegian
When Robert Shewman’s father started Glory to God Auto Repair in 1981, customers could pay whatever they felt “the Lord would have you pay.” Four decades later, while fixed prices have replaced the honor system, faith remains at the core of this family business.
The shop’s journey from a modest towing service to a full-service auto repair shop mirrors the growth of Hillsdale itself. Where the Walgreens now stands, the Shewmans once operated a small, two-bay gas station. After selling that property, they launched their towing business with a unique payment model that reflected their Christian values.
Recalling his father’s pricing guidelines during the company’s early days, Shewman said customers were asked to pay what they could or felt the Lord wanted them to pay.
“Some people who need a tow truck don’t have a lot of money,” Harold Shewman, Robert’s father, told the Syracuse New Times in 1983. “That’s why we’re here.”
The family briefly relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, seeking refuge from Michigan’s harsh winters, but returned to Hillsdale after three years to be closer to family. By the mid-1980s, insurance companies began demanding standardized rates, which Shewman said forced a shift in their business model.
Facing mounting costs for wrecker maintenance and expensive workers’ compensation insurance for tow truck drivers, the Shewmans sold their wrecker and transformed the business into a full-service auto repair shop, plus tire services. In 2006, Robert Shewman took the reins from his father at the current Lewis Street location.
The automotive world Shewman navigates today is different from the one his father knew. According to Shewman, families often have two or three vehicles instead of one, and increased or even same-day delivery for tires and other parts has replaced lengthy wait times.
Still, the biggest change lies in the technology of each car itself, where computers now control everything from oil changes to brakes.
Each new technological evolution requires investment in equipment and training, but Shewman still sees an upside to the increased computer reliance.
“It’s challenging from a financial aspect because you always have to buy new equipment,” he said. “But with cars being under warranty, we have kind of a three-year grace period for those bugs to work out before they reach us. It keeps your mind sharp. Our guys don’t lose interest.”
As Glory to God moves through its fifth decade of business, none of Shewman’s children have expressed interest in taking over the family business.
“The trades are hurting,” Shewman said. “Nobody wants to go into trade work. Auto mechanics especially are very hard to find since many automotive repairs now have to be programmed.”
Despite the challenges of a continually changing business landscape, and multiple competitors in the area, Glory to God maintains a loyal customer base.
“Hillsdale is blessed with several places where you can take your car, and I would trust with my car,” Shewman said. “But, you have the whole county and a lot of people working from out of town here. You have to travel through Hillsdale to get anywhere. So there’s a lot of cars to be serviced.”
One of the many cars that need servicing belongs to Karl-Rainer Hermann, Shewman’s “favorite customer from Germany,” who has been a Glory to God patron for almost a quarter century.
“You’ve been a customer since July 2000,” Shewman said, checking his computer records during Hermann’s recent visit.
“Yes, when your mother was alive,” Hermann replied. “I can remember your mother. I tell everybody the story. We got that old rotten Ford Taurus in 1994. I would drive past here when you were on the corner. We never knew what was going on. I thought, ‘Glory to God, what are they doing? Is that a church?’ Eventually, we found out that it was a car repair shop.”
While working for a chemical company industrializing South Africa, Hermann met his late wife Elizabeth, who had once driven her Volkswagen Beetle solo through 22 hours of jungle to escape the apartheid regime. The couple journeyed through East Africa and Germany before settling in Hillsdale in 1992, drawn by their daughter’s marriage to a man from nearby Osseo. Their old Ford Taurus eventually led them to Glory to God, where Hermann has remained a customer ever since.
While the “pay-what-you-can” model may be a memory, the Christian values that inspired it still guide the business, earning the trust of longtime customers like Hermann.
During the winter months, Hillsdale students from across the country rely on auto repair shops to keep their cars driving safely in Michigan conditions. Many students, like junior Cassandra DeVries, become part of that loyal customer base during their four years at Hillsdale.
DeVries, familiar with Michigan winters since she is from Kalamazoo, said she frequently refers friends with car issues to Glory to God.
“I loved the mom-and-pop feel, and it was cheaper than what I’ve paid at other dealerships,” DeVries said. “I also really liked the faith component and respect that they are so openly Christian.”
Senior Maggie Potwardowski was equally impressed with her experience.
“I could tell they were genuinely interested in taking care of me and my car,” Potwardowski said. “And the price was extremely reasonable for their time and labor. The staff was so friendly and efficient. I would definitely go back for future maintenance.”
Shewman says that similar values make the employees of Glory to God especially close.
“We talk while we work. Even though they say you’re not supposed to talk about politics, religion, or money because, you know, you can lose friends and family that way,” Shewman said. “We’re all conservative and we’re all in the same generation. We all have similar viewpoints because we’ve seen the same things in life. We’re not related, but we’re close, like family.”
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