Working -- JESSICA PALANJIAN

SHE IS

Involved in a family (business) affair

FAMILY TIES

Working for her father’s Costa Mesa automobile shop gives Jessica

Palanjian a chance to work with people she knows pretty well.

There’s her father, Jerry, who owns the shop, a 30-year fixture in the

city. And her 21-year-old brother, Alex. Uncle Berj also chips in.

The auto shop, Grand Prix Performance on Newport Boulevard at 17th

Street, specializes in wheel rims, tires, tinting and other auto frills.

It has resonated with the community precisely because of the focus on

family, Palanjian said.

“That’s why people like coming here,” she said. “It’s not like you get

treated like a number.”

Palanjian said some of the shop’s customers stretch back through

generations, dating back to the time when Jerry opened his doors in 1971.

THE EXPERT

After returning home from college last year, 24-year-old Jessica began

to spend her hours in the shop, working to update and standardize the

shop’s computer systems.

Palanjian, who lives with her parents in Newport Beach, is also

brushing up on ways to modernize the business. She has familiarized

herself with the tire and rim market.

She can wax poetic about chrome tinting, the latest trend in 20-inch

rims and the varied exhaust caps that can be had for a range of prices.

It’s a perfect business for an affluent community such as

Newport-Mesa, she said.

“It’s basically for people who want to improve their cars and enhance

the basic package,” Palanjian said. “This is an affluent area. They want

to improve their cars. It’s part of their identity.”

ON TECH OF IT

The Palanjians noticed a spike in business last year, when the popular

racing movie “The Fast and the Furious” was in theaters.

However, the Palanjians won’t install the nitrous canisters that

juiced up the engines in that film.

“The cops don’t like that,” the elder Palanjian said.

Customers can usually find the latest auto technology at the shop,

which also has a large selection of Harley Davidson accessories.

There are improvements for cars of all types and budgets of all

ranges, he said.

“I try to take care of all of their needs,” he said. “The guy that

drives a Ferrari and has a wife that drives a Jaguar and a maid that

drives a Taurus.”

* Story by Paul Clinton