Our Story
Lou’s Car Care Center is a family-owned and operated auto repair facility in Baldwinsville, NY. Our full-service repair shop has been happily serving the CNY community since 1976. At Lou’s, our vision is to earn customers for life. We are committed to our mission to provide safe, reliable, and trustworthy auto care. Lou’s Car Care has humble beginnings starting with its founder Lou Cannata, Sr.
Lou Sr.’s love for the automotive industry began in a small town in Taurianova, Italy, where his family’s business was Vespa and bicycle fabrication and repair. At a very young age, Lou worked alongside his father and brothers learning the value of hard work and developing a strong knack for business. As one of ten children, Lou helped his family in any way he could and always had a passion for learning. After the sudden loss of his father, Lou’s mother decided that he would be adopted by his aunt and uncle with the hope of a better life in America. At the age of 13, Lou traveled alone from his hometown in southern Italy and arrived in Syracuse, NY in October 1965. After completing the 7th grade, Lou started working and began his journey of achieving his “American Dream”.
At 14 years old, Lou’s first venture into business was delivering newspapers by operating one of the largest paper routes in Syracuse. He would soon transition into working for Horowitz’s Bicycle Shop where he would repair and sell bicycles. A few years passed and Lou began to realize that his true passion was in repairing and maintaining vehicles. In 1968, Lou accepted a position as a Mechanic’s Apprentice at Reynolds Ford in Syracuse at the age of 16. In 1973 at the age of 21, Lou began working at Sam & Rocco’s Sunoco in Syracuse which was owned by his brother, Rocco, and cousin, Sam. In early 1976, Lou was presented with an opportunity to lease and operate his own gas station and auto repair shop. In June of that year, Lou Cannata Sr. started Lou’s Sunoco located at the corner of Long Branch Road and Rt. 370 in Liverpool, NY. A year later, Lou was presented with the opportunity to own his own location and moved his operation to Baldwinsville, NY. He opened Lou’s Sunoco located next door to our current facility.
With the support of many wonderful customers and team members over the years, Lou’s has been able to establish an amazing following that has been built on trust and strong relationships.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Lou Jr. became involved in the family business at a young age as well. Like his father, Lou Jr. loved cars and working with people. He started off cleaning the shop on weekends, then began detailing vehicles, and eventually worked his way into managing the day-to-day operations. Since 1998, Lou Jr. has been a driving force in the company and continues striving to provide customers with safe, reliable, and trustworthy auto care.
In 2003, Lou’s Car Care Center moved from its original three-bay garage and gas station into a new 20,000 square foot, state-of-the-art auto repair and collision facility. With this expansion, Lou’s Car Care has continued to provide exceptional customer service, vehicle maintenance, and repair.
