Mural reflects history at Meyers Automotive

Meyers Automotive Service has been in Sturgis for 93 years, with a rich history that current owner Barry Lindblom appreciates.

Heidi Wolfe has been in the city for only a few years. She came as an elementary school art teacher, bringing her fascination and respect for history.

“I think the history of towns is so important — the history of buildings,” Wolfe said.

She especially likes the 1940s and 1950s.

She also likes to keep her car running. When Wolfe took her car to Meyers for repair, her attraction to the vintage building was immediate. An idea began to brew in her mind.

Because Wolfe also knew Lindblom from church, she felt comfortable approaching him with her idea to paint some of the business’ history on the outside of the facility. It would add to the historic photos Lindblom has displayed inside.

As Wolfe shared her sketches for a mural, Lindblom was all in.

It was like fireworks in his brain as he grasped her vision, Lindblom said.

Wolfe even offered to paint the entire front of the shop before she started the mural. So with the help of Travis Klinger, they gave the building a new coat of white paint and a new coat of black paint for the curb and sign posts.

It’s a fresh feel with a connection to the old, Lindblom said.

“I love that.”

From the first time Lindblom entered Meyers Automotive, even before he was hired, the business’ history attracted him.

“It was kind of old-fashioned, but they had everything they needed,” he said.

A few decades later, Wolfe said it’s still true.

“The customer service is old-fashioned,” Wolfe said. “It’s in this neighborhood. It’s like the old times — people are most important.”

Using paint to illustrate that story offers something for everyone, she said.

“It brings together different generations,” Wolfe said. “The older generation remembers this and the younger generation is learning about it and everyone in between values it as well.”

The clock, front and center, in the name across the top of the building, also is steeped in history.

Dick Meyers, 91, of Klinger Lake, from whom Lindblom bought the business, recalls how factory workers depended on that clock to help them get to work on time. When it was stolen, the public was restless until it was replaced.

All of it is part of the history and look Lindblom and Wolfe value and want to showcase for the good of all Sturgis.

“The way the businesses have latched on to revitalizing the downtown is huge,” Lindblom said. “They’re not waiting for the government to do something. They are jumping in and doing it.”

Wolfe added, “Sturgis is known for certain things. This is a reminder of who we are. I’m really excited about the history of this town.”

The train depot brings train people to the city, Wolfe said. She admires the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce office at the classic Standard Oil station.

She hopes Meyers Automotive will be another destination building attracting history buffs who seek that sort of thing.

Wolfe knows about those people. She’s one of them.

One summer, Wolfe traveled Route 66 to absorb the history. But some Sturgis buildings are better than those on the world-famous route, she said.

“People who love the Route 66-type thing would really like this,” she said.

Now, she envisions a brochure to highlight Sturgis destinations. Maybe that won’t happen this summer, she said, but she’d like to have it available, at least by the time Meyers Automotive marks its 100th year later this decade.

Lindblom agrees.

Fred Meyers opened Meyers Service Station in 1927. His sons, Dick and Ralph, took over in the 1950s. In the 1990s, Dick’s son Randy named it Meyers Automotive Service. Lindlom bought the business in 2015 and retained the name.