Since 1993
Brandt Garage History
Great grandpa Frank Brandt and his three sons Edward, Frank, and Joseph were all mechanics and machinists that worked for the Northern Pacific Shops, located in Brainerd Minn. After the great strike of 1921, great grandpa Frank refused to go back to the Northern Pacific Shops and so he and his three sons decided to open an automotive repair shop. Grandpa Frank already owned a piece of land located in Brainerd, Oak Street, so they worked together to build the brick garage. The new garage included a basement, which was dredged out of the ground with the aid of horse team and plow. The garage was called Scenic Highway Garage.
The brothers sold new cars, which included Nash (Ajax), Chrysler and Plymouth, repaired older model cars, and also sold the first available retail radios. The crystal radio sets, which were sold under the brand name of “Atwater Kent”, were the first sets available to the public in Brainerd. By the 1940’s and 1950’s, the brothers started selling Hudson cars. In the 1930's, the garage name changed to Brandt's Garage.
