our business: MIKES WESTSIDE RENTAL
Mike’s Rental-Everything from Digging to Dancing
BY MISTY BROWNING
PHOTOS BY STEVEN SCHILLIO
M
ike’s Westside Rental is a small rental busi-
ness that started 10 years ago near Possum
Kingdom Lake.
Back in May of 2007, Mike and Kathy Patton
came up with the idea to open a rental compa-
ny on the west side of Possum Kingdom Lake,
adequately named Mike’s Westside Rental. Mike
had the idea of starting a weekend only tool rental
business, because he had the tools to rent and there
was always someone coming out at the lake need-
ing to rent them. Eventually, the business grew from
the weekend only business to a full-time business,
equipping everyone in the area from local contrac-
tors to weekend lake enthusiasts. In 2009, Mike’s
Westside Rental (MWR) moved to its current loca-
tion in Graham to better serve the customers in
both Graham and in and around Possum Kingdom
Lake.
In 2014, Bert Thompson bought the business
and became president of MWR. Bert, who currently
lives in Parker County, had known Mike for years
due to Mike and Bert’s father being friends. Bert
had been tracking the sales for the Graham store
and knew there were people in Parker County who
knew about them. The actual “straw that broke
the camel’s back” that brought the business to
Weatherford is the infamous story of the customer
who wanted a karaoke machine.
“I had already seen what this county was doing
in growth since I live out here, but getting the
phone call for the karaoke machine one Saturday
morning was what did it for me” Bert explained.
Bert said that he got the phone call at 10:30 that
morning from a woman in Weatherford who was
wanting to rent a karaoke machine.
“She asked how much it was and what time we
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closed. I told her $35 and at noon. She then told me that she was
afraid she wouldn’t make it there in time. I figured out she was
calling from Weatherford and willing to drive to Graham for a
$35 rental machine.”
When he asked why, she told him “Honey, I ain’t going to
Fort Worth and nobody has one is Weatherford.” He told her
that he lived in Weatherford and would bring it to her, free of
charge.”
And that’s how MWR came to Weatherford. The Weatherford
location opened earlier this year, with the official grand opening
being recently on March 25.
MWR has every kind of equipment to help with your next
wedding, party, event, or project. If they don’t have the piece
of equipment you need, they can get it for you. If you have a
project and you are not sure what equipment you need, they can
help you with that. They have daily, weekly, and monthly rates
for their equipment, with certain limitations on certain pieces
of equipment. They also prorate the fee if you go over a couple
hours, instead of an entire day.
They are open every day but Sundays, and never will.
“I don’t care how bad they want me to be or how many
Home Depots they build. Sunday is my day with the Lord and
my family, and that’s how it will always be.”
For more information, go to http://www.mikesrental.com.