HISTORY ABOUT US

Yipes Auto Accessories started out in Vermont as “Yipes Stripes!” in 1984 as a one-man venture traveling to car dealerships throughout  Vermont to install aftermarket accessories, primarily striping,  on vehicles right in their lots.   After only a few short months of success, in the spring of 1985, Dave Tinker was hired to help his brother-in-law cover the large territory, which included Franklin County.   Over the years, several retail stores were established including the one in St. Albans  in the Dussault Auto Sales Building.  The name was eventually changed to Yipes! Auto Accessories to better describe the scope of what we do…much more than just stripes!  Then in August of 2000, Yipes moved to the Highgate Shopping Center due to the need for more shop space, which was again increased in 2005 when  additional space was added due to an adjacent tire store closing.  This also made it possible to add an Onyx Spray-On Bedliner booth so that trucks can be sprayed in-store rather than being driven to Williston as was previously necessary. 

In October 2007, Dave and his wife Dianne, who had been managing the store together, had the opportunity to purchase it from Dianne’s brother.   Together, they bring their enthusiasm and experience in  the automotive industry to their customers.  Since they live locally in St. Albans, they are particularly concerned with customer satisfaction.  They work very well as a team…Dave loves anything to do with automobiles and has a true interest in each customer’s vehicle, while Dianne brings an attention to detail to the business as she endeavors to keep things  as organized as possible.

In purchasing the store, Dave and Dianne had the opportunity to bring on Dianne’s brother Jeremy who has a lot to offer with his experience in all the departments at Yipes since he at one time managed a Yipes Store in Montana.  He specifically excels in the graphics department but is also very adept at performing almost all the jobs at Yipes which comes in very handy to have such an all-around guy on the work force.  Both Dave & Dianne’s sons work for them as well.  Their oldest son, Jordan has worked as an installer for a couple of years and takes great pride in his work as he has a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist.  Their other son, Brandon works in the graphics department designing and installing graphics. In August of 2009, Nathan Wright joined the team as an installer in the shop. He has over 15 years experience in the automotive accessory business and excels in tinting windows, so we are pleased to have him on our staff.

Since it is a family business, the atmosphere at Yipes is very layed back and casual,  although we are constantly striving for that professional balance…we hope to never become like the guys at OCC!  One thing you can be sure of…the people at Yipes will do their best to make you feel at ease knowing that trained professionals are working on your car and that they truly care about your satisfaction with their installations as well as the products they sell.