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A Supportive Service

Ricky's shop is a staple across the tracks, but what lies beneath the surface of a pillar in the community

Tucked on the corner of West 12th street and Clay Street sits Baja Auto Service, across from La Luz Del Mundo Church and next to Clean Cut Barber Shop. The area is known colloquially in Bowling Green as “across the tracks” according to Ricky Nunez, the owner of Baja Auto Service.

If a person hangs out around across the tracks long enough, they will notice the abundance of hispanic mercados, each with its own flavor and culture, church goers in-and-out of Le Luz Del Mundo Church, and a local celebrity hailing by the name of “Dougie Fresh” meandering from shop-to-shop shouting chirps at pedestrians and passing cars.

Ricky’s shop sits at the epicenter of this community, many people, hailing from different natures and background show up to Ricky’s shop every day. Whether it's a high school friend or an Afghan refugee, Ricky offers his service.

Ricky says he can walk into Walmart and run into 10 people who know him well.

“Not just waves, hugs,” Ricky says.

Ricky says he doesn’t like the work but it’s what he is good at.

LEFT: Ricky Nunez inspects an oil leak underneath the hood of minivan belonging to Said Jan Kohistani’s, an Afghan refugee, on Feb. 24 2024. RIGHT: Ricky Nunez inspects an oil leak underneath the minivan of Said Jan Kohistani.

In 2011, Ricky and his father, Pedro Nunez, went into a joint business venture buying Baja Auto Service. For the first year, there relationship was nominal as they worked to pay off his father’s buy-in, but in 2012, after disagreements on the direction of the business began o arise.

“We disagreed on what was right and what was wrong,” Ricky said.

Ricky decided to take a buy out of the business.

Ricky talks to a customer while assessing their engine on March 12, 2024.

"I’ve always been for helping people." Ricky Nunez

Ricky Nunez wheels in a tire to his shop on April 3, 2024.

After their disagreements, Ricky says his father’s relationship was strained and Ricky would bounce between different jobs including roofing, fencing, brick laying throughout 2014, and ended up laying epoxy floors but in 2018 and eventually doing HVAC, but his life would change with the birth of his daughter.

Ricky says everything changed. “I won’t be around forever, and neither will he,” Ricky Says.

At the end of 2019, Ricky bought an auto service shop in Glasgow, Kentucky from his father but sold it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ricky would go back to being a business partner with his father.

Ricky says he realized that he had kept his emotions bottled up towards his father and didn’t voice his true feelings when his father said something he disagreed with.

“The relationship got better.”

Pedro Nunez watches his son Ricky Nunez inspect the underside of a car on March 12, 2024.

Ricky Nunez fixes the hair of his son, Paulo Nunez, before a family photoshoot on March 14, 2024. Ricky says being a parent is one of the hardest things he’s ever done in his life.

Ricky Nunez kisses his girlfriend Paulina Enriquez during a photo shoot to announce the gender of their third child on March 14, 2024.

Ricky Nunez watches his kids open their easter eggs after an easter egg hunt on March 31, 2024.

Ricky Nunez puts on his jacket before leaving for work on the morning of April 4, 2024.

“I’ve always been for helping people,” Ricky said. “I’ve been on the spot before and it’s not fun.”

Despite the challenges Ricky has had with his father, Ricky stays focused on being a father. Ricky says when his kids grow up, he wants to have a “crew” of his children following him around.

“I wanna big Christmas and big thanksgiving,” Ricky said.

Ricky says the reasoning behind his love for family and friends comes from his fear of loneliness.

“Thats why I always try to help people, so when I’m old, nobody forgets about me.”

Ricky Nunez and his father Pedro Nunez close up their shop on April 3, 2024.