When Demeny Pollitt opened Girlington Garage three years ago, she knew she was rolling the dice: She was starting a business during an economic downturn, not to mention wading into a field traditionally dominated by male mechanics. Pollitt imagined creating a woman-owned garage where customers, especially women, wouldn’t worry about getting ripped off if they didn’t know the difference between their tie-rod and transmission.

Now, three years in, business is booming. Girlington Garage repairs and maintains the workhorses of Vermont’s roads — more Subarus than sports cars. Pollitt and her coed staff cater to an enthusiastic clientele of women and men who rave about the garage’s comfy waiting room and patient, knowledgeable grease monkeys.

SEVEN DAYS: What difference does being a woman-owned garage make?

DEMENY POLLIT: I think that people trust women a lot more. My experience being a woman as a customer has influenced the way we deal with customers quite a bit. We really spend a lot of time and effort making sure that customers understand what’s going on with their car, and why. I think we spend a lot more time with our customers than a lot of shops out there do.

—Kathryn Flagg