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DENTON - Stepping into Denton Auto Care usually means something has gone wrong: a transmission failed on the way to work, a warning light unexpectedly flashed on, a family car stalled on the way to a beach vacation. Even if you’re just going in for routine maintenance, it comes with a cost that people would rather avoid.
That reality is something co-owners Gina and Tony Long understand well. It is also why they say running an auto repair shop is as much about people and problem-solving as it is about transmissions and tools. Since purchasing the Denton shop and opening on December 1, 2023, the married couple has worked to build a business centered on transparency while navigating what they describe as one of the most stressful and misunderstood industries out there. Alongside the Denton location, the Longs also operate their original shop, Easton Auto Care, and have recently expanded into another venture: Rescue Auto Rental.
Tony grew up “dirt poor,” purchasing his first trailer at 18 and chopping wood for heat. He credits that upbringing for shaping his work ethic and determination. “I started at 16 years old, washing cars,” Tony said, “I’ve been around here pretty much my whole life.” He spent more than two decades working in dealerships, eventually becoming a shop foreman and overseeing more than 20 technicians. But over time, he became frustrated with an increasingly impersonal approach to customer service in dealerships. “In a dealership, you tend to be more of a number, not a name…you don’t get to deal with the owners personally every day.”
So, he opened Easton Auto Care in 2017, and eventually started Denton Auto Care. “Here you get personal, hands-on local people that work here, live here, and provide for the economy here,” he said, “That’s the whole reason I started this.”
Gina Long came along after Tony had already opened the Easton location. They can tell you their versions of the story, but the gist is that Gina’s car needed help, and Tony came to the rescue. They’ve now been together since 2019.
Today, the couple divides business responsibilities in ways that reflect their strengths.
Tony serves as the lead diagnostic technician and manages the shop. Regardless of his status, though, he’s still not above scrubbing floors and toilets. “There isn’t a job in here that I don’t do,” he said, “And there ain’t a job in here that I won’t do…we are all equals.” But Gina said Tony truly thrives “When a customer says, ‘I’ve taken this to more than one other place and they can’t fix it.’”
Gina has helped modernize the business since stepping into the co-ownership role. She said much of the operation had previously been handled through handwritten checks, paper ledgers, and manual bookkeeping. “We now have health insurance. We now have an IRA…We now have an employee handbook,” she said. She also describes herself as the “mom” of both locations, often serving as a sounding board for employees dealing with stress, personal issues, or difficult customers. Across both shops, the Longs employ about 21 people. “We genuinely enjoy coming to work for each other,” Gina said about their staff.
Expanding into Denton just made sense geographically, especially for customers who commute between Caroline and Talbot counties. But the transition into the Denton market has not been without its challenges.
The couple acknowledged there was skepticism early on, but they’re confident that their quality of work and customer service speaks for itself. Every invoice is itemized line by line, and customers are often invited into the shop to physically see issues on their vehicles. When you go to Denton Auto Care, “You get transparency,” Tony said.
Even so, the Longs described the auto repair industry as one of the toughest to take on. “When they come in here, this is an inconvenience,” Gina said, “Even if it’s an oil change.” Tony said mechanics carry a longstanding stigma that they are trying to “rip people off,” despite the increasing complexity of vehicles and the growing costs of labor and equipment. Modern vehicles, he explained, are essentially rolling computer networks, often containing 30 to 40 electronic modules communicating with one another. “It’s not just replacing parts anymore,” he said.
At the same time, the industry faces severe technician shortages and rising costs for labor, equipment, and parts. Customers frequently compare prices to online retailers like Amazon or eBay, but Tony says those companies often ignore warranties, quality control, and accountability. “If that part fails, who’s standing behind it?” he said.
“If it wasn’t for the good that comes out of this, the satisfaction of actually being able to help somebody and see it through, I don’t know that I’d still be doing it,” he said. That desire to help customers eventually inspired Rescue Auto Rental.
For years, the Longs relied on national rental companies to provide vehicles for customers whose cars were stuck in the shop. Over time, Gina said, those arrangements became increasingly unreliable. The breaking point came when a family from Rockville came into the shop. They were on their way to the beach, and their car needed parts that would not arrive for days. Gina said watching them struggle to find a rental car made her determined to solve the problem herself, “I looked at [Tony] and I was like, ‘I’m going to start a rental car company,’” Gina said.
After doing much more research than they bargained for, they soft launched Rescue Auto Rental in September 2025 before fully opening the following month. They are now the proud owners of a small rental fleet made up mostly of 2015 to 2020 vehicles, along with a few newer models.
“We don’t always have all the answers, and we’re not always right, and I will 100% admit that,” Tony said. But at the end of the day, “We’re here to help you.”
