Bypass 28 is fast becoming the place to go for all aspects of custom car tweaks — from nitrous kits and turbochargers to heated seats and flip-down “Finding Nemo” DVDs in the back seat.

On a four-mile road that features virtually every type of automotive service, a trio of business owners created a destination niche making Hooksett familiar both to those who want to add a sunroof and those die-hard fans of amplified boom cars.

“Coming out to the bypass was a big gamble,” said Randy Packard Jr., who brought his grandfather’s auto upholstery firm, Superior Interiors, from Valley Street in Manchester to the bypass 15 years ago. “It was dead then. There was nothing here.”

While auto sales and service businesses have popped up along the bypass since Packard made the jump, two companies making their way on custom car tweaking joined Superior Interiors to give the bypass a new reputation.

Packard’s firm is one of the few full upholstery operations of its size in the state.

Down the road, Brian Rice’s WildCards Performance can boast unique offerings to boost engine performance in Sport Compact cars. And next door to WildCards, Chris Crompton’s Traffic Jamz features a fiberglass fabrication division distinctive in the region.

“We’ve all kind of grown to know each other over the years,” said Crompton, taking a break from turning an off-the-lot Dodge Magnum into a show car with $20,000 worth of audio improvements. “They feed us work, we feed them work.”

The custom car trade benefited from two recent trends, shop owners said.

One is the entertainment industry, pushing movies like “The Fast and the Furious” and TV shows such as and “Pimp My Ride.” Said Crompton: “They’re all fueling the industry on some level.”

The second is economic when the economy slows down, people hold onto their cars longer, according to Packard, but they still want the luxuries newer models feature, such as heated seats and remote starters.

“As the economy worsens, people come in with older cars,” said Packard, whose third-generation business contracted with police and postal units for interior repair work and still does boat fabric repairs.

“But, then again, when the economy’s good, it’s the opposite — people bring in their new cars. Everybody wants to have something that looks decent.”

Plenty of walk-ins

Crompton branched out on his own with Traffic Jamz two years ago this month after serving as an install technician for box stores and independents. He had his mind trained on setting up shop in Manchester for the instant recognition the name would bring. Then he saw the price tags.

Crompton quickly steered toward nearby Hooksett, which offered road frontage, a showroom and a garage for less than the quotes in the Queen City.

His Fiberglas work on custom crates to hold amplifiers and speakers led many audiophiles to follow him into Hooksett. Soon commuters passing by stopped in.

“Pretty much, from day one, the business has floated itself,” Crompton said.

Rice’s firm, the newest of the three to park at the bypass, also started catering to walk-ins when he began receiving requests for oil changes and brake jobs while trying to establish WildCards as an import-only, horsepower-based business.

Rice started his company out of a spare bedroom five years ago with a Web site selling add-ons aimed at sport bike owners and chrome accessories for Harley-Davidsons.

“We weren't into the car scene at the beginning, our focus was the Sport bike." said Rice. “

When Harleys started coming out with their own chrome parts, Rice transitioned to buyers used to riding on four wheels.

He eventually opened a shop on South Willow Street in Manchester he came to outgrow. Rice said his move to the bypass in August enabled him to amass clientele beyond teenagers emulating what they saw in video games.

His sales spiked. High-end jobs along with everyday tune-ups are now commonplace, he said.

“I didn’t want to become a regular garage and I still don’t,” Rice said. “But it was an evolution. People see us on the road and stop in and ask what we can do.”