North Idaho Memories: Windshield repair for $5 and a six-pack
Paul "Torgy" Torgerson was 22 years old when he and his dog Hurby drove from Minnesota to Coeur d'Alene to start his windshield repair business in August 1979. His first repair was at the Snake Pit, where he fixed a windshield for $5 and a six-pack of Miller beer.
Courtesy photo
"In August of 1979, Paul 'Torgy' Torgerson moved to Coeur d'Alene to start the innovative windshield repair business. And 45 years later, 'Torgy' continues to come to you anywhere in North Idaho to repair and save your windshield!"
I was 22 years old and my dog, Hurby, and I drove from Minnesota to Coeur d'Alene to start the windshield repair business in August 1979.
I did my first windshield repair on the drive as I stopped at the Snake Pit and did a windshield repair for Mike Reesor for $5 and a six-pack of Miller beer as he worked for Panhandle Distributing.
Windshield repair preventing costly windshield replacement was a brand-new idea back in 1979, and I started doing a lot of work for the car lots, like Lambert Automotive, Knudtsen Chevrolet and Beaudry Motors, all on Fourth Street. I also introduced windshield repair to local insurance agents like Jerry Dietz, Gale and Linda Krier and the Bill Dennis Farmers Agency. Also, because a lot of fleet accounts had broken windshields that could be repaired, I started doing windshield repairs for Washington Water Power and GTE, and the logging companies like Louisiana Pacific and Idaho Forest Industries and Potlatch.
I did have lots of help building the business over the past 45 years from fellow windshield repair technicians like Kevin Oaks and Rusty Peterson.
We didn't have a shop as we found most people really appreciate the fast mobile service throughout North Idaho.
We have repaired and saved over 50,000 windshields! And we would like to thank the good folks of North Idaho, the insurance companies, the fleet accounts, the car dealers and the gravel companies for your friendly windshield repair support over the past 45 years!
— Paul "Torgy" Torgerson, Coeur d'Alene
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Send your North Idaho memories and photos to Devin Weeks, dweeks@cdapress.com. Please provide information with any photos you send: who is in them, when and where were they taken and a brief description of what is happening in the photo. Pieces should be no more than 500 words. Please include the names of those submitting the memories and how long North Idaho has been or was your home.
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