Behind the Panels: Coastline Overhead Door’s Journey to Success

BLUFFTON, S.C. — When you need garage door service or installation in the Lowcountry, Coastline Overhead Door is always one of the first names that comes up. There’s a good reason for that. This company has earned a reputation for reliable service and a community-minded approach to doing business. 

Coastline Overhead Door is a family owned and operated local business. Its founders, Jamie and Amy Tonkin, bring 20-plus years of garage door experience to the table, and they’re well on their way to passing the family business on to the next generation of experts.

Expertise and Service — A Family Tradition

With an ever-expanding range that extends from Hilton Head to Ridgeland and Lady’s Island to Levy, Coastline covers all of the Lowcountry’s needs when it comes to garage doors. 

That includes garage door installation, replacement, repair, service, maintenance and inspection. Residential or commercial, if it has to do with garage doors, Coastline is all over it. 

Jamie Tonkin hails from Western New York, where he got his start learning the ins and outs of garage door repair and installation while working for his uncle. After relocating to South Carolina about 18 years ago, he quickly found employment with another regional garage door company. 

Though it was a valuable experience, eventually the time came to seek greener pastures. After a few years working for someone else, he reached what felt like a dead end. Or as Jamie puts it, “I climbed to the top of my proverbial mountain… and there was nothing up there. So I decided to go into business for myself.”

Coastline Overhead Door was born. Along for the ride in this new venture was his wife Amy Tonkin, who brought operational expertise to the enterprise. If Jamie is the entrepreneurial spirit behind Coastline Overhead Door, Amy is the strategic vision. Both are equally pivotal to the company’s growing success. 

Another key asset is their approach to doing business. Jamie and Amy set out to establish a new kind of garage door company: one that really put family values and care for the community at the forefront. 

Or, as Jamie puts it, “more family-friendly than franchise-friendly.”

A Different Kind of Garage Door Company

While one could choose to work with any number of major garage door chains in South Carolina, it’s the personal touch and attention to detail that makes Coastline Overhead Door stand out. After all, when you’re fixing doors for your friends and neighbors, you tend to go the extra mile, and that’s exactly what the folks at Coastline do. 

We sat down for a chat with Jamie Tonkin, and the conversation meandered from family to the garage door business to putting down roots in South Carolina. Jamie was cheerful and eager to shoot the breeze despite being a bit under the weather, and the topic he kept returning to was community. 

One gets the sense that Jamie not only loves what he does for a living, but also loves the way it’s able to provide a valuable service for the Lowcountry community that has been so welcoming to the Tonkin family since they arrived here two decades ago. 

“We’ve been here for a long time, almost 20 years. And being part of the community, we wanted to offer something to the community for a service-based business that was more family-friendly. So that’s been our mission. That’s been our goal.”

Jamie and Amy take pride in the expertise they’ve gained over the years, and in the relationships they’ve established with vendors that allow them to offer exceptional service at a fair price. They also take pride in not being pushy salesmen, which Jamie says is one of the things that really sets them apart from the big franchise companies. 

“We’re laid back. We’re not hard salesmen, so we’re not going to beat you down to buy a garage door. If you want it, you want it. If you don’t, you don’t.”

When asked about the number one thing that sets Coastline apart from its competitors, Jamie has a simple answer: “I care.”

Opening Doors to the Future

In addition to Jamie and Amy, Coastline Overhead Door has grown to include a talented band of technicians and apprentices who bring their own expertise to the table. They’re a well-rounded team that really knows their stuff when it comes to garage door installation, repair and maintenance. 

So what’s next for Coastline and the Tonkin Family? For one thing, continued growth. They’ve already dipped their toes into the Savannah area, and want to continue building up a strong presence across the state line in Georgia. 

And as always, Coastline remains a family business. Jamie and Amy have three sons, whom they hope to eventually pass it on to. But don’t expect that to happen in the near future. Jamie, for his part, seems to enjoy what he does a little too much to want to hang it up any time soon. 

So whether you live in Savannah or Hilton Head, Port Royal or Hardeeville, give Coastline a call when you need garage door service. They handle all kinds of doors both residential and commercial, and they take pride in going beyond keeping garage doors opening smoothly. As Jamie and his crew see it, they’re also opening doors to community engagement and growth. 

Coastline Overhead Door brings great service with a personal touch, and it doesn’t take long to see what a world of difference that makes. 

View Coastline’s Listing Here
Coastline Overhead Door
2789 N. Okatie Hwy
Ridgeland, SC 2993
(843) 422-8584
https://coastlineoverheaddoor.com/