Restorium owners Thayer Hills and his wife Dawn Haggerty met and married in Seattle, WA, though neither could count it as their home town. Dawn hails from Rhode Island, and Thayer from the Midwest. They moved there in 1994 and 1998 respectively, but their paths didn't cross until several years later, when they were introduced by mutual friends. Thayer picked up Dawn for their first date in his 1969 MGB-GT, which, equipped with a rather throaty sport exhaust, proved a bit loud for nervous first date conversation. Despite this handicap, they got along famously and were married three years later. Soon after, they began to look for ways for Thayer to open his own shop, and also to enjoy a more rural lifestyle. In late 2007, they moved from Seattle to Thayer's home state of Wisconsin with the goal of hoisting his own flag.

With Dawn's support and blessing Thayer Hills opened The Restorium in 2008. Whether your destination is a local parade or Pebble Beach, The Restorium is ready to pamper your automobile and amaze you with unparalleled results. Cleanliness, attention to detail and unwavering commitment to the highest degree of professionalism are the hallmarks of The Restorium. It is the shop you've been looking for and provides an experience you didn't think possible.

Restorium owner Thayer Hills bought his first vehicle at age 12, a Volkswagen bus that was 13 years his senior. Thayer grew up with a barn full of cars with names like - Cord, Pierce Arrow, Graham, Bentley and more on his family's property, courtesy of his father's unquenchable desire for vintage automobiles. Thayer's mechanical interest was spurred at an early age. Money earned from his paper route funded the purchase of his '61 VW bus, which he still owns.

As a college music major and member of the professional music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Thayer was the answer to many a young pledge's question. "Who is the only active member of the fraternity to disassemble and rebuild a motorcycle in the basement of the fraternity house?" Thayer still owns that 1976 Yamaha XS 650.

Also fond of aircraft, Thayer changed focus, and, after studying music in college, he bolstered his mechanical knowledge by attending the aircraft mechanics course at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, WI. He later worked in both the Finishing and Avionics and Wiring departments at American Champion Aircraft in Rochester, WI. He also worked as an airplane mechanic at Sylvania Airport in Sturtevant, WI.

In 1998 Thayer moved to Seattle and went to work for prominent West Coast collector Tom Armstrong. Thayer's unique skill set netted him the job of attending to the Armstrong collection. In that position Thayer maintained and restored the Armstrong's ever-changing collection of vehicles and their actively campaigned vintage race cars. He drove himself it to work every day, despite several years living in an apartment without even a parking space, and with no 'daily driver' owning only his'69 MG and '71 FIAT, a testament to his mechanical ability.