Who Is Charlie?

Charlie was owner Billy LoRusso’s loyal dog when he started the garage in 1991 — and the story of how Charlie came into Billy’s life is almost as memorable as the garage itself.

It was 1990, and Billy’s family was preparing to blast rock on their property — a routine job in the rock and stone business. Just before work was set to begin, a small brown stray dog wandered into the blast zone, seemingly unaware of the danger. Billy’s Uncle Bart spotted the dog in time and scooped him up, and Billy immediately took the scrappy little stray under his wing.

He named him Charlie.

From that day forward, Charlie went everywhere Billy went. He rode along in the truck on service calls, lounged around the shop while Billy worked, and became the unofficial mascot of the new garage when it opened in 1991. As word spread about the new repair shop on Thomaston Ave, friends and colleagues started suggesting that Billy name the place after his constant companion.

The name Charlie’s Garage stuck — and so did the logo. The iconic image of a dog holding a wrench in his mouth? That was drawn directly from an actual photograph of Charlie.

Charlie was more than a mascot. He was the heart of the place in those early years, a reminder that even the most professional operation can have a little personality. The name and the logo have endured for over three decades, honoring a loyal friend who showed up at just the right moment.