Millard's Motor Accessories saved by young entrepreneur

A LITTLE piece of Gloucester Road history has been handed a lifeline by a young entrepreneur.

Millards Motor Accessories has been taken over by Dan Diorazio after customers begged previous owners not to shut their shop.

Gerald and Vincent Dawson, who grew up in Bishopston, had been running the store for around 30 years, selling car parts and accessories.

The brothers recently refurbished the shop, which is full of an array of products for classic, vintage and modern cars which have kept a loyal base of customers – all over the world.

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“They come from far,” said Gerald. “Most of them used to live in Bristol but they know there’s nowhere else that will have the stuff we have got here.”

The 66-year-old added: “We get some customers from all over the world, writing to us because they think we might have the right part.”

The two brothers inherited the shop from their father, who took it over in 1958. Since then, much has remained the same.

“People come to us when they want something a bit special – something you can’t find in other shops,” said Gerald.

“When we were thinking about closing down we started getting a lot of people coming in persuading us to stay. They really wanted us to keep going”

Fortunately Dan, 28, a family friend and Bishopston resident, stepped in to save the iconic shop. The like-minded heir plans on continuing the traditional theme of the shop.

Vincent said: “We were lucky in the end that we found someone similar to us – with a shed full of cars in pieces – to carry on the business.”

A keen motor enthusiast, Dan shares the brothers’ love for classic cars and appreciates the value of the shop.

He has completed apprenticeships with major vehicle companies while in his 20s and took charge of the shop formally at the beginning of April.

He said: “I came in here one day to say hello and ended up having a long chat.

“I’ve known them for a long time and we came to an arrangement that I would take over.”

Since his arrival there are signs of modernising the shop.

More modern parts have been ordered and a computer has been installed on the counter, although Gerald insists he won’t touch it.

Gerald, a grandfather of five, is looking forward to retirement, when he can spend more time on his vintage car building hobby, while attending more classic car shows.

Vincent, a father of three, is hoping to continue working at the shop part time.