In 1926, brothers Ernest “Babe” and Carl Nordmeier spent their time selling and maintaining Chevrolets inside the big brick building on the corner of Division Street in Morristown. In the 1970s, brothers Don and Ernest Jr. Nordmeier now sold lawnmowers alongside their lineup of cars inside the big brick building. Now, brothers Steve and Stuart Nordmeier run the auto repair shop in the same big brick building on the corner of Division Street.
From left, Stuart and Steve Nordmeier are the third generation of brotherly duos to run Nordmeier Bros. Although the business has taken many shapes over the years it continues to be ran out of the same building it was started in.
“I’ve been here over 50 years so I’ve been in town my whole life,” Steve said. “My brother has been here since he graduated too. So it’s kind of been in our blood.”
The 68-year-old owner said the company now focuses on auto repair, maintenance, small engine repair and lawnmower sales and service. The company will celebrate its 100th anniversary during a Saturday celebration at the American Legion Pavilion in Morristown from 5 to 8 p.m. The celebration will include a DJ, food and refreshments.
“Everybody keeps asking when I’m going to retire and I say, ‘Well, I ain’t retiring yet because Stuart’s 10 years younger than me,’” Steve said laughing.
Steve said he owed the longevity of the business to the small town community he lives in.
“Costumer loyalty is a lot of it. We got a lot of good customers, repeat customers and stuff,” he said. “When you deal with us, you’re going to deal with the person who’s going to be working on your car”
He isn’t lying either, both Steve and Stuart were fast at work Tuesday morning on different cars and lawnmowers. Steve said he was happy to be able to get so much business, especially from customers who come from Northfield and Faribault to get their car maintenance done there.
Steve Nordmeier said the business stays honest and that’s what keeps costumers loyal. “We don’t do anything that does not need to be done,” he said.
While the business started as a Chevrolet and Buick dealership and Standard Oil Gas station, the Buick line was dropped fairly early on. The Chevrolet dealership and gas station continued on well into the 2010s. Their Chevrolet franchise was shut down after Chevrolet announced it was cutting small dealerships in 2010. The gas pumps were later removed due to rising costs in 2011.
The brick building continues to stand strong though with multiple cars parked along its sides and garages waiting to be serviced. Steve isn’t sure if it’ll go on for another hundred years as neither of the brothers have any sons, but is thankful for how long it lasted.
“I love this job, on most days,” he said laughing. “There are days when it’s stressful, but we’ll always get to it. Everyone’s excited for the anniversary.”
Steve Nordmeier says it can be difficult to run a business, but he doesn’t have any plans on retiring soon.
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