Today we’d like to introduce you to Gilbert Flores.
Hi Gilbert, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I come from a family of custom car builders. My aunts and uncles were in lowrider clubs in Houston back in the 70s and 80s with their bikes and cars. My grandfather had his own mechanic shop and built antique cars for himself. I started building around 1992 myself with lowrider bikes. When I was in high school, I got my first lowrider and joined a local car club in my area. My car wasn’t a showstopper, and I couldn’t afford to pay someone to do all the custom work it needed. As a result of this, I started doing the work myself. It was a lot of trial and error, but I slowly started getting better at it. I then started doing work on cars for my fellow club brothers and building my cars after work and on the weekends. As time past on I started my career as a machinist in the oil and gas industry, and even though my financial situation changed, I continued to do all my own work and help my club members out when I could. In 2021 a fellow lowrider and friend of 25 years asked my when I was gonna start building full-time and take it to the next level. After some long thoughts and discussions with my wife, I decided to give up my career of 20 years and open a shop. In October of 2021, me and two good friends of mine established GS Customs.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is no such thing as a smooth ride in life. There have been many bumps and obstacles, some big, some small. We struggled just to find a building that was suitable to our needs. I almost decided to give up on the idea because it was becoming so difficult to find the right location. The biggest struggle for me was the financial aspect. I left a guaranteed salary career to pursue my dream of owning my own shop. We are still establishing our name and building our income level. Fortunately, our team is very supportive, and everyone helps out and pushes to ensure we are successful. The type of business we chose is a struggle in itself. Custom cars is not a necessity but more of a want. This in times, makes it difficult to keep steady business.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in the custom automotive field, although we do other custom work aside from automotive. We are known for building and customizing lowriders for the most part. Again, we have other types of cars as well. Houston’s auto culture is so diverse that we build trucks, slabs, motorcycles. I am most proud of the fact that we have been able to establish a name for ourselves in the customization game that we, as well as our city, can be proud of. I fell what sets us apart from others is the fact we treat every customer and every build the same. No matter if we are building a full custom car or just installing some under glow lights the car gets the same treatment and the same effort.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The shop I own is called GS Customs. It’s a full 1 stop custom shop. LS Swaps, airbags, hydraulics, custom paint, custom airbrush murals, and graphics.
Pricing:
- LS swaps $9.5K
- Hydraulic intstalls $5.5K
- Air Ride installs $6.5K
- Paint Jobs $5.5K
- Custom Airbrushing $300
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/GS_Customs_CEO
- Facebook: facebook.com/gscustomsshop
- Other: TikTok @gs_customsshop
