ON THE JOB: Louie Carmona and son, Rudy, examine newly dented late model automobile at Carmona's Auto Collision and Body Repair. The Carmonas have operated their business for three generations. Grandson Rudy and his wife, Tina Carmona, currently own the Fullerton business. PHOTO BY : Jack E. Hancock/Fullerton News Tribune

The Carmona family has made a definite dent in the survival rate for mom-and-pop collision repair businesses in Fullerton.

In the '80s, the city acquired the Carmona's 7,000-square-foot Complete Auto Body by eminent domain for a parking lot adjacent to the Transportation Center.

"We were left on our own to relocate," third generation owner Rudy Carmona recalled earlier this week.

Ten years later, Rudy and his brother, Tony, were operating a 1,200-square-foot facility at Lawrence and Santa Fe avenues when the landlord announced he would not renew the lease.