The affordable housing crisis has made its way to the Island’s auto repair industry, this time leaving over 700 customers looking for a place to go.

Andrea Dello Russo, the owner of Andrea’s Auto in Edgartown, said she is closing her shop by the end of September because she can’t find a place to live on the Island. Ms. Dello Russo said the landlord of the home she’d been living in put the residence on the market, meaning she can’t stay here to operate the business.

“It’s really breaking my heart,” Ms. Dello Russo said. “It’s a lot to pack everything up and leave and feel the hole in the community that I will be leaving.”

Besides Andrea’s Auto, Ms. Dello Russo said there are six other auto shops on the Island and a few mobile mechanics. She said most are at capacity and not accepting new customers.

“When I knew [moving] was becoming a reality, I went to a few other shops and just kind of said ‘. . . I’m trying to find a place for my people’ and for the most part people at all the shops that I went to were like ‘no, we’re full’,” Ms. Dello Russo said. “Everyone is maxed out on capacity . . . . It’s a loss to lose just one shop.”

Ms. Dello Russo said she’s particularly fearful for the Island’s summer population. She said most shops on the Island can’t accommodate emergency repairs for people on vacation, and many turned to her for help.

She said she tried to find a mechanic to take over her shop, but the autoshop’s landlord doesn’t want the space to continue being an auto repair shop after her departure. The building had previously been home to McIntosh Motors, another auto-repair business that fixed Island cars for 30 years.

Ms. Dello Russo will be moving to Oregon where she plans to travel and teach others how to work with a wrench. Once she gets her bearings, she said she might open another shop out west.

While Ms. Dello Russo is excited for new opportunities, she said leaving is bittersweet. She grew-up on the Island and only moved away when she attended Norwich University and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Having battled with PTSD, she moved back home and raised her two children on the Island. She said leaving her customers and community has been challenging.

“People are coming by and telling me all those wonderful things that I’ve done for them and I’ll hold that close while I make decisions on what to do next,” Ms. Dello Russo said. “I’m extremely grateful for the support that I had from the community.”

Editor's note: this article has been updated to clarify that Ms. Dello Russo's residence is on the market, not her autoshop.