Clients drive all the way from Ventura to one trusted auto repair shop in Orcutt with bright red and yellow signage flagging the corner lot. The reason is superb customer service.
Old Orcutt Kwik Stop owner Ghais “Gus” Sweed is always working. Sometimes 18 to 20 hours a day. He bought the well-established business last September, coming up on one full year of ownership. The Kwik Stop includes a car repair shop, mini mart, and gas station.
“We put our heart in our business,” Sweed told the Sun.
Red and yellow
Find Old Orcutt Kwik Stop at 100 E. Clark Ave. in Orcutt. To inquire about services and schedule an appointment, call (805) 749-8920 or visit oldorcuttkwikstop.com. The shop is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during weekdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
After managing gas stations and liquor stores in Southern California, Sweed moved to Santa Maria to take over in Orcutt. He said the Old Orcutt location is the northernmost branch of Kwik Stop but the company is looking to expand more.
“I like Orcutt people. They are so friendly,” Sweed said. “They support me a lot, and I feel I am one of them now. … This is a perfect place for me.”
Customers remain at the core of his business philosophy. If people are driving hours to patronize his shop, Sweed is going to make sure the trip is worth their time and money.
On the auto repair end of the business, he said they take care of everything except alignment. But they’ll soon be able to offer that service, too.
From windows and lighting to stereos and cameras, Sweed’s five employees at the body shop can tackle any problem for a cheaper price than a dealership, he said. Kwik Stop also fixes heating and air conditioning, brakes, exhausts, and transmissions. Pop in for an oil change or smog check, too.
The owner only has one rule for his trusted team of professionals.
“The customer is always right. That’s it,” Sweed said.
Sweed keeps his appointments with pencil and paper, balancing a daily schedule of around 30 cars. The busiest he remembers is managing 60 cars one day in January. The first appointment starts at 7:40 a.m. and the last one is taken at 4:40 p.m. so that the shop can accommodate a vehicle every 20 minutes.
Much of Sweed’s work is maintaining inventory of supplies like oil, filters, batteries, and other parts. He taught himself a lot about mechanics after he bought the Kwik Stop. The owner credits his crew of repairmen with keeping the shop’s trusted reputation in the community.
“I’m a pharmacist,” Sweed explained. “I got my license from Germany, so when I moved here, everything was new to me. … I didn’t know anything about cars. Now, thank God, I know a lot.”
The owner also made some changes to the convenience store to offer a better experience for people when they drop their vehicles off to be serviced or park to fill up their gas tanks. Sweed employs five people at the store for a total of 10 across the entire enterprise.
Half of the old convenience store used to be a garage, but now it’s an expanded mini mart with drinks, snacks, and knickknacks. Where garage doors used to open to the outside, coolers with seltzers and Gatorade now stand next to endcaps of wine bottles.
“We changed the floor, all the ceiling,” Sweed said. “We got the beer license. We got the wine license. Soon I will make it bigger, and hopefully I will open a restaurant.”
One of his future ambitions, after squaring permits away with the county, is to open a Mediterranean joint upstairs. It’s all in the name of making customers happy.
“If any customer has a problem,” Sweed said, “just tell them to ask for Gus.”
Highlights
• A cooking class for older adults is scheduled at the Guadalupe Senior Center on Aug. 12 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The center is located at 4545 10th St. in Guadalupe. Call (805) 356-6155 for more information.
• The Lompoc Queer Alliance announced its list of August events on social media. Events include a craft circle on Aug. 12, a picnic and market on Aug. 15, a group walk on Aug. 19, and a general meeting on Aug. 25. For more information about activity times and locations, visit @lompocqueeralliance on Instagram.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in August 6 – August 13, 2026.
