Our Story
CHAPTER 1 OF 6: ROOTS IN FRANKLIN
My father, Milton Crutcher, grew up helping his siblings care for their widowed mother, learning early what family and hard work truly mean. By the 1960s, as a teenager, he began working on cars, and by the 1970s, he had become Franklin’s trusted technician, repairing vehicles with skill and reliability. The community trusted him to keep them moving and treat them fairly. This laid the groundwork for Crutcher’s, a dream born on Columbia Avenue in downtown Franklin. That commitment to people-first service still drives us today.
CHAPTER 2 OF 6: A NEW DIRECTION
After becoming Franklin’s Trusted technician in the 70s, Dad was working weekdays at the service station but both community demand and a desire to provide for our family led to him working weekends on his own.
By 1980, supported by my mom, Brenda, Dad took a chance and founded Crutcher’s Auto Repair. No shop, just a 1970s Chevy Cube Van. His mission was simple: work hard, be honest, and treat people right.
That summer, at 7 years old, I had my first job. By helping Dad fetch tools and parts from the van, it let him stay focused on the vehicle. I had no idea then, but those long summer days were shaping the future of our family’s business.
As winter approached, Dad had to find a warmer place to keep the dream alive...
CHAPTER 3 OF 6: OUR FIRST SHOP
After years of serving the Franklin community, Dad took a chance and started Crutcher’s as a mobile mechanic in the summer of 1980.
The business grew quickly, but as cold weather and more jobs rolled in, the van just wasn’t going to cut it. Looking for shelter and stability,
he moved into a small garage tucked beside a neighborhood market on N. Petway in Franklin in late fall 1980. Word of his honest work spread
fast, and with the steady support of the community, it wasn’t long before both Dad and that little shop were running at full capacity.
CHAPTER 4 OF 6: BACK TO COLUMBIA AVENUE
After outgrowing the mobile van and garage on N Petway in just a few months, Dad rented an
Amoco station just up the hill from where his career began. Mom joined him, and together they
formed Crutcher’s Amoco just blocks from downtown.
For nearly a decade we earned Franklin’s trust with dependable service and genuine care for our customers. We added technicians, full-service fueling, and towing. I was still young but spent most days after school there and even found myself helping some along the way. The work was hard and the hours long, but things were going well until the EPA required replacement of old underground fuel tanks in the late 80’s. The landlord couldn’t justify upgrading the small site, so we were forced to look for a new home for the team.
CHAPTER 5 OF 6: A PERMANENT HOME
After years of earning Franklin’s trust, EPA regulations eventually rendered the old Amoco station outdated. Mom and Dad had to find a new home for the business they had worked so hard to build. What could have been a setback became a turning point when a loyal banking customer—who believed in Dad’s honesty and the way he treated people—helped secure the financing to build the shop where we still serve Franklin today.
For our family, opening that building in 1990 became more than a workplace. It gave us roots, gave our customers a place they could count on, and gave me the chance to learn the technician trade firsthand. After graduation, I worked here for several years before leaving in 1998 to pursue new opportunities in technology and corporate America. Mom and Dad pressed on while I was away.
CHAPTER 6 OF 6: BACK TO LEAD YOUR HOMETOWN SHOP
By 2006, with Mom and Dad nearing retirement and the shop needing a plan for the future, I felt called back home. I had a family of my own by then, and I wanted the same things my parents had always valued most: family, stability, and the chance to build something meaningful. After eight years away in corporate America, I returned to carry our family name forward and continue the relationships my parents had spent decades building. In 2008 we expanded in the office you visit today.
Today, more than 20 years after my return and 46 years since Crutcher’s began, the tools and times have changed, but the heart of our company has not. We still believe in hard work, honest service, and treating every customer like family. We’re grateful for the trust this community has placed in us, and we’re proud to keep serving our hometown any way we can.
- Jamie Crutcher
