The history of the Alley-Gator shop begins in 1976, when Lou Fabian started the business at what was previously the Getty Station at the intersection of Bristol Rd and Route 202 in Chalfont. For many years the shop handled both auto repairs and gasoline sales, however Lou eventually decided he wanted to transition to auto repairs only. He sought out a new location that would support this change, and in 1992 Lou found the current location in New Britain. Lou decided he wanted a unique name for the business. The kids all called his wife Aunt Alley, and she used to tell them that there were alligators in the radiator dip tanks where she would take radiators for repair. One thing led to another, and soon enough "The Alley-Gator shop" was born. Lou eventually retired in 1997 and moved to Florida. In doing so his son Larry, who had begun working at the shop in high school, transitioned into the role of business owner and sole mechanic. Over the next twenty-five years Larry maintained a great relationship with his father’s customers as well as many new faces. In recent years, Larry started thinking about what his next move may be, knowing that it was unfair to his family to continue to put in the long hours working 6 days a week. In 2022 Larry started speaking with Eric Tarby, a lead tech at another local shop for the past 7 years, with over 15 years total experience as a mechanic. Larry’s hope for the shop’s future prioritized his existing customers, and after getting to know Eric he was confident their ongoing satisfaction would be taken care of. He was comfortable Eric would be able to do this while also offering a seamless transition into the role of owner and sole mechanic. Eric is an ASE certified master technician with experience in all makes and models of cars and light trucks. He is excited to begin this new chapter and is looking forward to serving the area for years to come.
Eric has been married to his wife Jessica since 2011 and they have 3 beautiful girls togethers. In Eric's spare time he enjoys helping his community by volunteering as a firefighter with 2 local fire departments.
