It wasn’t even his fault.
Just over a year ago, Vick Hausner’s auto repair shop, Laguna Motor Werks, was damaged in a fire that started in an upstairs office leased to another company.
It was the middle of the night on Jan. 7, 2022, with temperatures in the mid-40s. According to the Laguna Beach Fire Department, a man sleeping in the office was using a space heater with an electrical cord plugged into a wall outlet that may have overloaded.
No one was injured but the historic building, located at 1003 S. Coast Hwy., suffered significant damage estimated at $500,000 to $650,000.
More to the point, Hausner’s thriving family-owned business that serviced countless German cars in Laguna was suddenly shuddered.
Hausner has been making ends meet through insurance claims, goodwill and hope. But now, he’s seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite mountains of paperwork, inspectors and regulations, he’s hoping for a summer reopening – maybe.
“We have been making some progress behind the scenes in the form of getting approval from the City of Laguna Beach to issue permits to commence with the restoration repairs on the building,” he said. “We expect the restoration repairs to start within the next couple of months and then hopefully be partially completed six months or so thereafter.”
Hausner said he hopes the city will let him open his repair bays before the completion of the upstairs building, which took the brunt of the damage.
Regardless of the timeline, Hausner is grateful for the support he’s received.
“We appreciate all the community support and patience through this unexpected and difficult business closure we have experienced,” he said.
