Car Bae Auto Service & Repair Throws a Wrench Into The Works

Rows of stained hot pink and white tires carefully stacked around the parking lot of the painted white and pink building nestled on the corner of St. Clair and Yale avenues are the biggest giveaways that something is different about this auto garage on Cleveland’s near East Side.

Still not convinced?

Park your car, walk through the entrance and notice the tattered, discolored bra pinned to the wall.

The undergarment doesn’t belong to Teshome Helmey, 35, but as owner and operator of Car Bae’s Auto Service and Repair, she doesn’t want to leave any doubt that this is a woman-owned, woman-run auto shop without apology.

“The bra represents this being a woman’s shop, and women aren’t afraid to work hard or get dirty,” Helmey says.

Helmey’s brand — Car Bae — was given to her by a friend who compared her to Salt Bae, the internet moniker for Nusret Gokce, a Turkish chef who became a viral sensation for his theatrical method of sprinkling salt on food.

Helmey managed to find her place in an occupation dominated by men. She’s made room for the women who follow, providing an example for those who’ve been told, directly or indirectly, that this job isn’t for them.

Helmey, a mother of two, has plenty of experience with the side-eye: customers seeking “the real mechanic,” people who talk past her, and the assumption that she can’t possibly know what she’s doing. 

“When I worked for AAA, and got sent out for roadside service, like to change a flat tire, the customer would see me and then ask for someone else [a man] to do the job,” Helmey says. 

Helmey grew up in the Wade Park area of Cleveland, where she became a teenage mother. She moved to New Mexico, hoping to repair a strained relationship with her mother. 

The fresh start didn’t come cleanly. She fell in with the wrong crowd, people who made money from stolen cars. She doesn’t romanticize that chapter, but it changed her life: constantly being around vehicles is where she learned how cars work, and where she picked up skills that would eventually become her way out.

Due to an abusive relationship and a decision to have a drama-free life, Helmey returned to Cleveland in 2012 and enrolled in the Ohio Technical School in 2016 to pursue a career as an auto mechanic. 

“It wasn’t like I woke up one morning and decided I’d want to be a mechanic,” Helmey says. “I felt like it was something I had to do, because it was something I was already good at.”

Even before graduation, Helmey established herself as willing to work hard beyond the classroom, but obstacles remained. She learned from a classmate that a local auto service company had several openings due to a mass firing.   

“I turned in an application, and after a few days, I never heard back [from the business]. So when I asked [my classmate], he said, ‘I hate to tell you this, but they don’t want any women working in that shop,’” Helmey says. 

Helmey managed to find employment. Later, owning a business became a priority right after the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID, Helmey provided a service in which she’d work on cars or trucks at clients’ homes or at their jobs. She advertised on social media. Thanks to the change in the Cleveland weather, she realized working inside would provide more comfortable conditions. 

Three shops later, Helmey settled into her current spot, near her old neighborhood. Business has been steady. She averages about 100 customers per month, many of them women. 

“She’s very open, she explains what she’s doing to your car,” says Tanethia Johnson, who has used Helmey’s services for five years.“Unlike most [auto shops], she actually shows you what’s wrong. She’ll show you the parts she took off, and she’ll show you the new parts that she put on.”

Helmey adds comfort to her customers by providing video and photo updates. 

“I go that extra mile because there’s always a level of skepticism whenever someone goes to a mechanic shop,” Helmey says. “So I try to overcompensate for that.”

Which is common for women who own their own business, especially in trades dominated by men. It’s a constant proving ground that Monica Grays, co-founder of Naomi Women of Distinction, is familiar with. Grays hopes Helmey remains encouraged because she says Black women often have to work harder and longer to reach the same place others may attain more easily.

“So it requires a level of dedication, a ‘stick-with-it-ness,’” Grays says. “And with her being transparent with the struggles that she’s encountered, it’s a testimony to others watching, and they’ll want to follow in her footsteps.”

Naomi is an organization that was formed four years ago to bring awareness, resources and celebrate the accomplishments of Black women, following reports that Cleveland was one of the worst livable cities for Black women. 

Helmey has provided a comfortable space for her daughter, La’Mya Henry, 20, who can also be found under a hood checking the oil. Helmey plans a summer program at the Merrick House, a neighborhood center, to teach youth how to work on cars.  

Helmey wants to hire more women in the near future, hoping this will transform doubts about women providing quality auto care.

“I’ve had a lot of women hug me, bring me flowers and tell me how I’ve inspired them,” Helmey says. “When I started, women represented 4% of the mechanics in the United States. Now it’s 12%. That’s my passion. I want the number to continue to grow.”  

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