So, it's not secret that the New England area in general, especially MA, is very limited in offroad shops, and very expensive when it comes to things like installations, powder coating, etc etc. I know there's Dr. Wheels, Endangered Species, Townsend jeep, etc etc but I just can't figure out why no one has tried to open a major shop in the area? The JK changed the game, people from redneck off-roaders to celebrities to CEOs to soccer moms are driving modified JKs. I know in newton, ma alone there are 2 Starwood motors overpriced pieces of crap that people were willing to buy. Why can't a rebel offroad like/offroad evolution like/trailjeeps like shop take hold in MA? I'm a business guy, with a business brain, and an accounting degree, and my brain just can't figure it out. If a shop like Eastside Motoring can be sustained in Watertown (high end auto customs, unique auto sports type place), why can't an offroad shop besides a mom and pop shop make it work?

 

Sounds like a business opportunity. It's been a few years since I traveled to Mass, but I remember that seeing pick-up trucks was pretty rare unless it was a workman doing a job. Personal pick-ups just didn't exist. I remember co-workers from Mass visiting OK and remarking, "Wow, there sure are a lot of pick-ups around here." It's a culture thing and perhaps you're the right guy to see it changing! :-)

 

I know of 2 in ct area

 

Im in north dakota on the border to canada, and if I want anything done I have to use my cousin, luckily he will do almost any work for beer, and beer is cheap.

 

Offroad Elements is in MA.


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I really don't think that there are enough customers in mass or the area, where a large dedicated shop would make it. Wheeling out west is on an entire other level. There's a ton of lifted jeeps in my area, and that's all they are....is lifted. People like that look and do not wheel, so they are not in the Market for major mods.
I could be wrong, but I think a shop would need A LOT of continuous business to survive.

 

Krawl Daddy Offroad in Attleboro

 

This is the answer right here! I live on the Cape and there are more jeeps than I can count and 99% have no mods. Everyone around here wants one to "drop the top" and that's it. There is no place to do any real off roading anymore aside from crawling down the beach. We had a couple of acres of town property but they shut that down. It's a minimum of a 3 hour drive to get somewhere to go and most of that is private land with off road club access.

 

Also look at those shops like Rebel and Starwood(not that they should be mentioned in the same breath) and they serve a nationwide clientele. I'd bet very few of their builds stay in their backyards so to speak.


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I'm originally from Wayland, MA but live in SoCal now. I was visiting family a few months ago and I was amazed at how many JKs I saw in just 4-5 days(more than I see in Los Angeles in a month)... except NONE of them were lifted. Some were modded slightly with aftermarket bumpers or roof racks, but I don't think I saw any with a set of 35s or larger tires. This was basically from the Framingham area all the way to Boston.
Like mentioned already, there's really nowhere close to wheel in the Mass area that's public and easily accessible. Not like in SoCal. In 2 hours I can be in Big Bear hitting John Bull and several other decent trails. Johnson Valley (Hammers) isn't that far either. San Diego area has quite a number of trails as well. I went to EJS in Moab this April and it was a "quick" 12 hour drive --- they have 40 jeep trails there. The west coast is an entirely different animal that the East, which to me explains the heavily modded Jeeps out here vs in Mass.
Could a shop like Rebel survive in Mass? Possibly, but I'd think only if the shop provides parts (to the greater area via shipping) as well as a garage for work. You also have to take into consideration that a large majority of the manufacturers for aftermarket parts are either in California or closer to the West Coast (Nevada, Utah, etc) which makes things convenient and helps maintain a "face to face" relationship between companies.
Someday I'd love to drive my JK back east to experience what the New England area has to offer. Something tells me my jeep would stick out quite a bit out there

Cheers,
Mike