Not out of a job for long

One of Dave Silversparre’s main concerns with the closing of his Union 76 Station at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest Highway Dec. 31 was who would help his customers. He said many of his longtime clientele worried about where they would take their cars for service and if the station’s two mechanics, Darren Silversparre and Charlie Rivera, would continue to work in the area. Both men have found new positions at Firestone Tire and Service Center, 459 Foothill Boulevard.

“A lot of [our customers] were concerned about where they would take their cars and how they could find us after the station closed,” Darren Silversparre said.

He was with his father’s Union 76 station for over 30 years and had developed a close working relationship with many of the station’s customers. He said taking a car into a trusted mechanic is like finding the right doctor; the mechanic knows the vehicle’s history.

Both Silversparre and Rivera said they were happy to still be working in the area.

“We want all our station customers to know that we are here at Firestone,” Silversparre said.

It may be a different location but the same trusted service, he added.