Since Tonnika Haynes took over her father’s automotive business in 2016, she has advocated for inclusion in the auto industry, particularly for women.
By Dolly R. Sickles | Photo by John Michael Simpson
Tonnika Haynes believes her success is not a fluke. She is the second-generation owner of Chatham-based Brown’s Automotive, which was voted one of Chatham Magazine’s best automotive service and repair shops in 2022.
“Women flourish in the automotive industry,” she says. “There are so many areas in this industry where we are needed … behind the desk, under the hood and at the drawing table.”
As a Black business owner of an independent auto repair company, Tonnika knows she is resilient and resourceful in an industry historically dominated by men.
The Family Business
Tonnika grew up in Charlotte with her mother but spent every summer with her father, William Brown, who settled in Carrboro after leaving the Marines and opened his first auto repair shop in 1980. Business was good, and 20 years later he expanded its services from a collision center to a general automotive repair center.
Tonnika, who described herself as a painfully shy kid, remembers when her father wanted to boost her self-confidence. One day when she was 16, he left her in charge of the shop. “That first summer was sink or swim,” she says with good humor. “And I’m too bossy to sink.”
It wasn’t until college when Tonnika was at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC-Greensboro that she decided to formally work with her dad. “As a teenager, I thought I would work a corporate job and wear a power suit,” she says. But Tonnika fell in love with the service industry and knew family was the foundation. After college, she came on board to manage the business, and when her father retired in 2016, she took over as president. “I’m no mechanic,” Tonnika says, “but I know what’s supposed to be done.” Last year, they serviced 4,343 vehicles, and business continues to grow along with Chatham County.
Today, this busy single mother of two sons lives in south Durham. Her older son, Santana Deonta Haynes-Goodman, 18, is a freshman majoring in business at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her younger son, Jordan C. Brooks, 17, is a junior at Durham School of Technology.
Feminist in Charge
Brown’s Automotive has a loyal customer base, and Tonnika rarely encounters sexism or racism, but when it occurs, she nips it in the bud. “I stop them before they become problems. I state facts, get the elephant out of the room and continue,” she says. “Anyone who takes issue with my femininity, I make sure it remains their issue and carry on.”
Tonnika expands her approach of inclusion to everyone in the community, particularly women. “We try our best to make the process of getting car repairs as stress-free as possible,” she says. “Use your voice and ask questions when the explanation might be too technical. We speak human, not car. I would not want my physician speaking ‘doctor’ to me, so I really try to make sure everyone understands ‘what and why’ when it comes to repairs.”
“Women flourish in the automotive industry. There are so many areas in this industry where we are needed … behind the desk, under the hood and at the drawing table.” -Tonnika Haynes
Tonnika is a people person whose love languages are acts of service and words of affirmation. “Helping people and problem-solving are my things,” she says. “Making my dad proud is very important to me. He built an awesome foundation for me and my kids, and I just want him to know his work was not in vain. I have the torch now.”
