The European car specialists service & repair

Cooper’s Garage: Now Open in Franklin

The European car specialists service & repair Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen’s, and of course, the MINI Cooper’s

By Jason Zasky

“We were located in Nashville for five years until we lost our lease,” begins John Monk, co-owner of Cooper’s Garage, explaining what led him to open a new shop—at I-65 and Peytonsville Road. Fittingly, Franklin is where he wanted to be all along. 

“Back in 2016, when I decided to open my own garage, I was combing the streets of Franklin trying to find a suitable building,” he says. But Monk couldn’t find a suitable location, until he discovered that one of his customers—from a company called Doors Unlimited—owned a building at what he now regards as his “dream location.” 

“They had been in business for 20 years or so and decided they were going to retire and sell the building. It’s my dream location because you can see us from the Interstate, yet we are off the beaten path,” explains Monk, who converted the space into a garage that looks much like what you’d find at, say, a BMW dealership. 

"The floors in the shop are all seal-coated in a superlight white-grey (color) that reflects light. We also have eight state-of-the-art Rotary lifts—the same ones they have at Porsche dealerships. We have spared no expense on equipment; even our HVAC system goes ‘above and beyond,’” says Monk, who prides himself on the immaculateness of his shop.

"It looks like you could eat off the floor (of our garage)," he notes, a level of cleanliness that does not go unnoticed by customers. 

"I have had so many customers tell me, ‘When I walk in and see you have a shop this nice, I know that you are going to take really good care of my car,’” he adds, noting that Cooper’s Garage now services Audi’s, BMW’s, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche’s, Volkswagen’s and MINI Cooper’s, the latter of which were the only brand they worked on at the Nashville location. 

“When Cooper’s Garage originally opened, it was just MINI Cooper’s. That was our niche, and it was successful,” says Monk.

“But here we have branched out,” he adds, thanks to the addition of factory-certified technicians for all of the above-named brands. That includes his shop foreman, a 15-year master Audi technician, and Monk’s son, who was trained while working at both Volkswagen and Audi dealerships.

Yet factory-trained, certified technicians aren’t the only difference between Cooper’s Garage and many of its competitors. 

"There's also the personal touch,” adds Monk. “My service provider (Doug) and I are gearheads, so we are knowledgeable about what the technicians are telling us and able to be the liaison between you and our techs. At the same time, we are personable and build relationships.” 

That helps explain why the garage attracts customers from as far away as Huntsville and Bowling Green. And why Monk expects that the forthcoming grand-opening celebration for Cooper’s Garage (planned for this summer) might require more space than he has on his property.

“We are going to talk to the Ag Center to see if it would be okay to use their parking lot,” offers Monk, who says he drives a BMW 530 to work and also owns a handful of MINI Cooper’s, including a “practically mint condition” 2005 model that he takes to events, like this year’s edition of “MINIs on the Dragon,” to be held this spring in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Monk says he's focused on the day-to-day operations of Cooper's Garage, which takes its name from the late boxer featured in the business' logo.   

"We named him Cooper after the MINI Cooper, so the dog was named after the brand, and the shop was named after the dog,” he explains, though it’s Jellybean, a French bulldog, that is now ever-present at the shop. 

One thing that has not changed, however, is the guiding principles that have contributed to the success of the business.

"My philosophy is: Do what you know and do it well,” concludes Monk. “And at Cooper’s Garage, you’re not just a number, you’re a person, and you’re most likely getting an appointment the same week you call.”

CONTACT:

Cooper's Garage

4408 Franklin South Ct.

Franklin, TN 37064

615-454-6391