Why we are building this
Three people cannot work on their cars on the Central Coast today. The retiree who downsized to a place with no garage, or whose garage is full of the family’s things. The renter with no driveway and an HOA that says no. The mobile mechanic who is good at the work and has nowhere legal to put a car in the air.
There is no shared DIY garage between Santa Cruz and Oceanside. There are car clubs, shows, a speedway, Cars and Coffee every weekend, and one of the largest collector-car crowds in California, and nowhere to wrench. That is the gap. Auto Barn Club fills it: lifts, air, tools, disposal, a coffee pot, and people who know cars, rented by the half-day, day, week or month, with dedicated bays for the pros.
We are starting in Santa Maria in a leased, mechanic-shop-ready building, six bays first, growing on demand. Before any lease is signed we are asking the people who would use it to say so: founding-member pledges, a mechanic waitlist, and a short survey. That is what this site is for right now.
The people
Alan Safahi
Serial founder and Central Coast resident. Capital, strategy and the local network. Not the operator, and happy about it.
Zachary Lakin
Five years working on cars and trucks in Orcutt. Runs the floor: lift supervision, orientation, member help, and the women’s car-care classes. The person you will actually meet at the counter.
Samuel Safahi
Five years working on cars and trucks in Orcutt alongside Zachary. Runs the numbers: the financial model, the books, payments, and the investors. Good with the technology too, which on a team this size is not optional.
Coming: a resident lead mechanic as technical backstop, and a part-time attendant for weekends.
How we work
We plan, model and build this company with AI in the loop, and we say so. The business plan, the financial model, this website and most of our first drafts were made with AI tools and then argued over by people. We think that is the honest way to start a small company in 2026, and it is why a small team can do this at all.
Where things stand
Auto Barn Club is a company in formation, based in Santa Maria, California. We collect no money until it is formed and the building is announced. Prices on this site are planned. Founding members and waitlisted mechanics hear everything first.
