Peltier’s Auto Sales continues to expand on services

By Rick Garrick

FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION—J.C. Peltier has sold about 11 vehicles since opening up Peltier’s Autos Sales about four months ago on City Road in Fort William First Nation.

“When I get the vehicles, I fix them up so they are roadworthy again,” says Peltier, a Fort William citizen. “I have to maintain [the vehicle] to a standard where I would drive it or give it to my wife or somebody I know really well. I don’t want the car coming back, so it is in my best interest to fix the car 100 per cent.”

Peltier is currently selling a variety of used trucks, cars, minivans, and SUVs at the business. He selects his used vehicles from a car dealer in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

“We will [also] have snowmobiles and utility trailers and car parts,” Peltier says.

Peltier also plans to install a hoist, wheel machine, and tire balancer in the 30-by-80 foot Peltier Auto Sales building he built over the past year with funding from Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF).

“So we are going to be doing wheels and tires, flats, selling rims and tires,” Peltier says. “We are going to be able to jack up your vehicle and look at some parts underneath.”

Peltier is also looking at offering a variety of other services, including undercoating, detailing, painting, restoration, shampooing and steam cleaning of the vehicle interior.

“We will have some wiper blades, some cleaning products,” Peltier says, adding he is currently bringing in some Lund auto accessories such as bug deflectors, step bars, fender flares and electronic step boards. “So we are getting into a little bit of the accessories market as well as the auto sales business.”

Peltier began construction on the building about a year ago and opened it in the spring of 2016.

“It’s very nice on the inside,” Peltier says. “I spent a lot of time and money to get everything nice inside so when customers walk in here it’s something that is kind of comfortable and looks nice.”

After completing the building, Peltier obtained further funding from Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) to purchase his first inventory of used vehicles.

“With the two agencies [NADF and BDC] helping me, I was able to run with 15 vehicles and a brand-new building with a piece of land on prime real estate,” Peltier says. “You couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”

Peltier first got interested in used vehicles after he obtained his driver’s licence and purchased his first vehicle with money he had earned pumping gas and working in a tire shop.

“When I got the car, I fixed it up,” Peltier says. “[My school] allowed me to bring it into shop class where I was able to fix it all the time. And I got a credit for it, so I really got a liking into fixing up vehicles, restoring them. I basically ripped the whole vehicle apart and rebuilt it back together.”

Peltier says he continued buying and fixing up used vehicles over the years as a hobby.

“Finally, I thought: ‘One day I’m going to open up my own business where I can do this professionally,’” Peltier says. “I always wanted to do it.”

Although Peltier’s first attempt at starting up a used vehicle business failed about 20 years ago, he still kept the idea in the back of his mind.

“As I got older, I had the means to do it,” Peltier says. “[And] NADF approved the project.”