Lester's Garage Doors

Lester's Garage Doors is a garage door company in Gainesville, FL, specializing in spring repair, garage door openers, installation, service, and door replacement. Founded in 1969 by Don Lester at the request of Gainesville builders, it was the first full-time specialty garage door company in the city and has served the area for over 55 years. The company operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with service scheduled by phone rather than walk-in visits.

Don Lester and two of his sons, Steve and Richard, installed the first doors out of the family station wagon after school and on weekends. Each of Don's six children worked for the business, with Richard Lester and Janet Hoeft remaining through the years. Eddie Hoeft was hired in 1981 as a Service Technician, was promoted to Manager and then Vice President in 1992, and now leads the business as Owner alongside Janet Hoeft, the founder's daughter and Co-Owner. Mark Wood, the Service Manager since 1998, started as a Garage Door Installer in 1994. The company does not subcontract; its own highly skilled employees handle every job. The business holds Building Contractor's License CBC1251673. A separate division called Gates Elegante', founded in 1985 by Richard, specializes in gates and gate operators.

The shop sits on SE 9th Place, about 0.1 miles from Sweetwater Branch and Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters, roughly 0.2 miles from the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, and around 0.4 miles from Depot Park.

The business holds a rating of 4.80 and is led by a team with deep institutional knowledge, including Ed Hoeft's 45 years and Janet Hoeft's 42 years with the company, giving customers in Gainesville a long-established, family-rooted garage door operation to turn to.