The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – In January, Robert Bryant marked 40 years of car repair experience as he celebrated Dayton Auto Repair's fifth anniversary. He and his wife Shelli opened the shop at 218 W. Main in January 2019.

According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than forty percent of Washington's small businesses that opened in 2019 were still in business five years later in 2023. Bryant said he considered himself fortunate to have beaten the odds, especially opening shortly before the state put COVID-19 restrictions in place.

"We were considered essential for transportation," Bryant said....