StarTribune Article 08-25-2011Format Dynamics :: C1eanPrint :: http:// www. startribune. com/ lifestyle /homegarden/128359633.html ?pag.
r
Continued: Garage to
your dream home -
minus the house
Article by: , Star Tribune
Last update: August 25, 2011 - 9:11 AM
Drew and Janet Richardson sold their house
and bought two condominiums: One for
them, and one for their cars.
The empty- nesters wanted their six -car
garage but not the four - bedroom house
connected to it.
"We decided to downsize the house but not
the garage," he said.
They moved their British sports cars to the
AutoMotorPlex, a Chanhassen complex that
is the only one of its kind between Chicago
and Los Angeles. The deluxe garage
condominiums serve as the ultimate man
cave after being outfitted with the likes of
80 -inch flat - screen TVs, full kitchens, plush
living rooms and even basketball courts for
the kids to play on while Dad tinkers with a
timing belt.
N�:aof
Most of the owners, who paid from $39,000
to $100,000 for their spaces even before
outfitting them with the extras, don't think of
them as merely garages.
"It's an urban cabin," Tony Abena said of his
space, where he keeps his dad's old farm
pickup and mementos from his grandfather.
"When life gets busy, it's a place I can come
hang out with my four kids."
Bonding is a big part of the complex's appeal
-- from poker games to birthday and
graduation parties. Father - and -son garage
owners Joe and Jeff Stoebner have even
hosted holiday dinners in their garage.
"We moved the cars out of the way and had
40 people in here for Thanksgiving dinner
last year," Joe Stoebner said. "Our wives
thought it was a great idea. If a kid spills
gravy on a carpet, you've got a stain. Here,
we just hose down the floor and get out a
squeegee."
Despite the listless economy, business is
booming. Of the 135 units that founder
Bruno Silikowski has built so far, only two are
unsold. He plans to break ground on more
garages in September.
In retrospect, he thinks the recession helped
14:12T01
# I ■
R t # .
� + i
wn. a« aaoe .xan,evw.x«wx- wmo.so.ce,.. -„»n mysticlake.com
Print Powered By
bttn: / /www. startribune. com /temnl ates /fdcn ?uni oue= 1 314295009443
Ed Dynamics
or,o -s`(
Pagel of 3
8/25/2011
a: r !,L --IJ ` r
- Point your
mobile browser to
http-.//startribune.com
Most of the owners, who paid from $39,000
to $100,000 for their spaces even before
outfitting them with the extras, don't think of
them as merely garages.
"It's an urban cabin," Tony Abena said of his
space, where he keeps his dad's old farm
pickup and mementos from his grandfather.
"When life gets busy, it's a place I can come
hang out with my four kids."
Bonding is a big part of the complex's appeal
-- from poker games to birthday and
graduation parties. Father - and -son garage
owners Joe and Jeff Stoebner have even
hosted holiday dinners in their garage.
"We moved the cars out of the way and had
40 people in here for Thanksgiving dinner
last year," Joe Stoebner said. "Our wives
thought it was a great idea. If a kid spills
gravy on a carpet, you've got a stain. Here,
we just hose down the floor and get out a
squeegee."
Despite the listless economy, business is
booming. Of the 135 units that founder
Bruno Silikowski has built so far, only two are
unsold. He plans to break ground on more
garages in September.
In retrospect, he thinks the recession helped
14:12T01
# I ■
R t # .
� + i
wn. a« aaoe .xan,evw.x«wx- wmo.so.ce,.. -„»n mysticlake.com
Print Powered By
bttn: / /www. startribune. com /temnl ates /fdcn ?uni oue= 1 314295009443
Ed Dynamics
or,o -s`(
Pagel of 3
8/25/2011
Format Dynamics:: CleanPrint :: http:// www. startribune. com/ lifestyle / homegarden /128359633.html ?pag... Page 2 of 3
Kq
business.
"The baby boomers wanted to give up their
bigger homes while keeping their toys," said
Silikowski, who is looking into opening
additional car condos, which got their start
in New York City, where parking space is
always at a premium.
Community spirit
The 40 -acre complex, complete with paved
roads and a clubhouse for social gatherings,
looks like a fancy mini - storage, with a Tudor
twist. The cars run the gamut, from the
classics to ultra- high -end sports cars. One
garage holds a collection of Mustangs
spanning five decades. The next is full of
'60s muscle cars and adjacent to that is one
that stores a Lamborghini.
For the owners, it's all about spending time
with people who share their passion for
internal combustion.
"It was the atmosphere that attracted me,"
said Terry Larson, whose collection includes
cars from the '30s, '40s and '50s. "I just love
the feel of it, the camaraderie. You're among
people with the same mindset. You can walk
down the row of garages and always find
someone to talk cars with."
Advertisement
Point your
mobile browser to
http; /Atartribune.mm
The pride of his collection is a 1957
Chevrolet Bel Air. "It's the first car 1 ever
owned," he said. "One like it, actually; not this
particular car. When I was a teenager, my
cousins and I rebuilt the engine of that car,
but it blew up. That might have had
something to do with the fact that when we
got done, we had a whole box of parts left
over."
Gearheads galore
Raj Mehta, who spends his free time working
on a stock car he races, said that no one has
to worry about a failed engine rebuild now
because the owners always are willing to
lend a hand to one another.
"Everybody's got something they're good at,
and they're willing to share. I'm no good at w
elding, for instance. But if I need to weld, I
know that I can find somebody who is good
at it who will come help me," he said.
While Mehta's is a working garage, Silikowski
calls others "art garages," where owners put
their collections on display.
And then there are garages like the one
owned by Wayne Srsen, who was talked into
chipping in on a space with his car - fanatic
business partners, Donn LaVoie and Don
BL DIE
Sti. NEM i j SEA M EER 4
ON SMARILF Nt0'W! ,yS +4 LAKF
CASINO ♦ MOi 8L
r1:
J � .. r {}', t�rm>�aWMr"ab, v.eSiu wewiwrm.swoccm +o.ni inysticlake.Com
.
Print Powered By
Dynamics
httrr / /www.startribune .com /temniates /fdcn ?uniauc =l 314295008443 8/25/2011
Format Dynamics :: C1eanPrint :: http: / /www.startribune.com/ lifestyle / homegarden /128359633.html ?pag... Page 3 of 3
■ r Point your
to r�r' b u n mobile browser to
"�� httr. / /startribune.com
Huizenga.
"I was driving a Camry, so I bought a Camaro
just so I would fit in," said Srsen, who
confessed that his notion of "working on a
car" is to wash and wax it. "I still don't know
anything about cars, but I love being here."
(For the record, his car has an impressive
shine.)
"It's like a country club, except instead of
golf, this is about the cars," Huizenga said.
To maintain the country club aura, Silikowski
arranges social events, some for owners
only and others open to the public. The
highest - profile event takes place the first
Saturday of the month from April to
October. Anyone who owns a collector,
vintage or high -end sports car is welcome to
display it, and anyone can come and gawk
for free.
As many as 2,000 people turn out for the
shows, which draw cars worth upwards of $1
million. "We probably have more than $40
million worth of cars on display here right
now," Silikowski said on a recent Saturday.
Pricey kickstand
Silikowski, who collects sports cars, got the
idea for the complex from one of his kids, in
a roundabout sort of way.
"I came home one day and found that one of
the kids had rested his bicycle against my
Porsche," he said. "He was using my Porsche
as a kickstand!"
He started looking for a place to store his
cars, something that was secure, private,
provided easy access and was heated so he c
ould work on his collection in the winter. He
couldn't find a place that fit the bill, so he
built his own, opening it in 2007.
With the condos selling so well, he's likely to
run out of expansion room before long, but
he hasn't run out of plans. He's looking at
starting other locations in the Twin Cities
area, including one that would have a private
racetrack.
"We've got a place to keep the cars," he said.
"Now we need a place to drive them."
Jeff Strickler • 612 - 673 -7392
THE POINTER SISTERS
AND THE TEMPTATIONS
THURSDAY, GICTGISER 13 Y5i+ ;,. LAKE
4i� r SALE in%0 W: CA$1N0 -N0TeL
mysticlake.Com
Print Powered By
d Dynamics
httr): / /www.startribune.com /temnlates /fdcn ?unique= 1314295009443 9/25/2011