Meet Angel Perez of Downshift LA, Inc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Perez

Hi Angel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started in Chicago. I owned a dog walking service at the time. I would also work on cars in my off hours.

Anyway, before I would get started for the day, I would visit my grandparents. Every morning I would bring them the newspaper and check on their wellbeing.

One morning, while on my way to their house, I noticed motorcycles in the window of a local shop. There wasn’t a sign, nor a number for the shop. And being a motorhead, wrench monkey and occasional motorcycle rider, I was curious. So, one day after work, I decided to just pop in and talk to the owner. I asked the owner if he needed any help. He said not at the moment, but he will call me if anything.

I would drop in every now and again to shoot the shit. We became friends and I started helping out here and there. He taught me some things about motorcycles. Until this point, I had only worked on cars. So the knowledge was welcome. One day, he said he was moving to Arizona. And asked if I wanted to buy the shop. We made a deal and I took over.

I knew the business needed a major updating. Website and social media was the wave of the future at the time. And I had to get the business on that wave. Two years later and I had grown out of the current 1200sq ft workspace. I found another spot (3400sq. ft) that was less than a half mile away.

8yrs later and we are still going. And during this time, my wife Yari and my dad Mike were integral parts of the company. Even our kids chipped in every now and again. And then tragedy hit. My father past away suddenly. This event made me look closely at my life. Everything I was doing had revolved around the business. I was never home or spending time with the family. Then the pandemic hit. That’s when I decided to close the shop.

For a year, I was happy. Spending time with the family and going on vacations. But I was sick of the winters here. Especially the day we had a windchill of negative 30 degrees! So the wife and I started to scout other states. We had been all over the east coast, south, and as far west as Nevada. But never to California. Well, you only live once.

We moved to Santa Monica and found out how expensive it was to live here. But we were committed! So I decided to open another shop. It took awhile, but I finally found a suitable shop. It was in Torrance, in the once famous Gasoline Alley. It felt like home, as all of the other business owners are gearheads like me! We officially opened the door in January of 2023.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning the ins and outs of operating a business in California has been tough. There are several differences here vs Illinois. I’ve had to hustle to get new clients and try to make people aware of our location.

As you know, we’re big fans of Downshift LA, Inc . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I work on classic motorcycles. Restoring them to their former glory. I am known for quality work, attention to detail and excellent customer service.

I care for my clients motorcycles as if they were my own.
We offer tune ups, carburetor cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, vapor blasting, valve adjustments, tire install, wheel balancing, oil changes, spark plug changes, electrical troubleshooting and repair, clutch replacement, design, light fabrication, and much much more.

How do you define success?
By keeping clients happy and returning for more work. Educating our clients about the work done and being honest from day 1. It keeps our doors open and our clients riding safely.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Downshiftla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downshiftla?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownshiftLA?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@downshiftla?si=vc7p3H5qg5VqrlRn
• Other: Downshift.la@gmail.com

Image Credits
All my own images.