5 minute read
Fritch's Liberty Service Center: Broomall's Original Auto Repair Masters
Business Profile by Liz Burnett
Photos courtesy of Bill Fritsch, Owner of Fritsch's Liberty Service Center
When an automotive problem arises, there’s many solution providers, almost too many. So many options but so little time to be sure your vehicle will always be in the hands of a well-trained expert who’s got your best interests in mind. Over the past 70 years, 4 generations of automotive experts’ hands at Broomall’s Fritsch’s Liberty Service Center have worked long and hard and continuously re-trained so they could reliably keep up with every decade of automotive industry changes.
Joe and Jane Fritsch’s original service station, circa 1950
In 1950, current Owner Bill Fritsch’s grandfather Joe and his wife Jane started the business at their house on S. Sproul Road. It had gas pumps but no auto repair garage; just a little storage shed and an outdoor pit where Joe and his crew worked on customers’ vehicles. Joe and Jane’s sons, Carl and Herman (Bill’s father), grew up in that house.
Herman Fritsch pumping gas (circa 1950)
When Carl had gone to work for another local gas station and Herman was considering leaving the family business to join the Marple Township Police Department, Bill’s grandmother wisely convinced Bill’s grandfather to talk with Sun Oil Company (Sunoco) about building a 2-bay Colonial-style service station and a house behind the station. (Bill lives in that same house today.) Sunoco’s agreement to partner convinced Bill’s dad Herman that there was indeed a future in this business, so he stayed.
(left to right) Carl and Herman Fritsch at their 2-bay Sunoco station
As the Baby Boomers were born, the auto industry and Fritsch’s Sunoco both grew rapidly. When Bill’s dad Herman and his uncle Carl took over running the business in the early 1960s, it had grown so much that they need to add a third service bay. For 65 years, Fritsch’s was a Sunoco station until Sunoco’s corporate growth and overpriced gas made Bill decide to switch and sell more competitively priced Liberty gas.
(left to right) Bill Fritsch and his dad Herman in the early ’90s
When Bill Fritsch was in 7th grade, he started working at his dad’s business by pumping gas. From the auto mechanic masters he lived with, he quickly learned how to diagnose and fix engine problems. After high school, Bill completed a 13-month automotive training program, and then worked as a Mechanic for his dad and also helped grow the business.
(left to right) Vincent Fritsch with his dad Bill Fritsch
Since his dad retired in the mid-’90s, Bill has run the business, and is proud to have his son Vincent working with him there for eight years now after completing his formal automotive training program. Bill’s sister Mary Jane also works as his Bookkeeper, the important job their dad trained her to do and which she’s been performing ever since.
Because Bill himself benefited from experts who generously shared with him their automotive knowledge and know-how, he makes a point to do the same for the next generation. Bill continues a tradition started by his father: Employing and mentoring industrious high school students who work part-time, assisting with auto repairs and learning more from every vehicle they work on. Bill now does his part to foster in interested young people the same strong work ethic, ability to be responsible and practical life skills that his dad instilled in him and the many high schoolers who were smart and lucky enough to be trained and mentored by Herman Fritsch.
Through four generations of Fritsch automotive experts, Bill has seen tremendous change. Vehicles his grandfather and father diagnosed and repaired were primarily mechanical, and, for the most part, when a breakdown occurred, you could see what was broken and needed repair or replacement. When Bill got trained, his dad’s expertise was being challenged by automotive changes such as disc brakes, fuel injection, electronic ignition, and computerized engines. Within 10 years, Auto Mechanics transformed into Auto Technicians. Now, Bill’s son Vincent diagnoses and repairs vehicles by understanding and interacting with every vehicle’s multiple computer systems that regulate and essentially allow repair or replacement of the many complex electronic components.
Fristch's Liberty Service Center, 2109 S. Sproul Rd, Broomall
Until about 20 years ago, Broomall, like most U.S. towns, had about a dozen service stations that sold gas and repaired cars and trucks. Almost every big intersection had three or four such stations. Fritsch’s Liberty Service Center at 2109 S. Sproul Road is now Broomall’s last remaining service station. The days of do-it-yourself auto maintenance are long gone, making it more important than ever to have your vehicles maintained and repaired by well-trained, honest, and dependable Automotive Technicians.
When Bill’s customers bring their cars and trucks in for service and say “Do what it needs. I know you’re fair and honest,” he knows they’re showing how much they trust him, and he really appreciates that. Fritsch’s Liberty Service Center’s prices are fair and reasonable because the people who own it, run it and work there have a proud history of honestly working for your best automotive interests: a safe and reliable ride. This simple and straightforward business model is a breath of fresh air compared to today’s multi-layered corporate-owned auto repair options. When any local family-owned business stands the test of time like Fritsch’s has, it’s because the locals know and patronize a good thing when they find it. And now YOU’ve found it too!
Broomall’s Original Auto Repair Masters: The longest family owned and operated business serving Marple Township residents since 1950. Proudly offering exceptional service at a fair price.
Tire installation, Repair and Wheel Alignment • Brake Repair and Rotors • Oil Changes • Shocks, Struts and Suspension • PA State Inspection and PA Emissions Testing • Towing Service Provided with Our Own Tow Truck • Propane Sales and Exchange • A/C Repair and Recharge
610-356-1845
2109 S. Sproul Rd, Broomall
www.FritschsLibertyBroomall.com
