I know it's changed a lot, but the dealer world was good about the niche guys. Indy shops, not so much.
The last independent shop I worked at was probably in 1985, or so. The best one was a gas station in 1983. The owner had a great customer base, people seemed to trust him. 4 mechanics, lots of good equipment, parts room built on to the shop, always busy. Too bad I was a drunk and couldn't make it to work on time, or close to on time.