There’s a transformation happening in downtown Holland. In fact, there are quite a few.

There’s the skeleton of a Chevrolet Bel Air coming back to life as restored and fabricated fenders and body panels are carefully fitted to it. There’s a 1936 Ford Sedan slowly becoming roadworthy. There’s a 1960s-era Ford Mustang in the throes of a rebirth and a Datsun 280-ZX that looks just as classic — and just as in need of restoration — even though it’s at least 15 years younger.

In fact, since Randy and Lisa Byrne opened East Side Rides at the intersection of Holland Road, South Quay Road and Ruritan Boulevard in September 2013, they and their employees have worked on 47 different cars — projects ranging from simple disc-brake conversions all the way up to full, multi-month restoration jobs.

These folks love to transform rusted, broken and forgotten hunks of metal into things of beauty.

Lately, though, it’s clear that Randy Byrne has set his sights on an even bigger transformation, and it’s one that seems no less a labor of love.

“We’re trying to take this old building, the bones of the building, and rebuild it,” he said while showing a visitor the gutted interior of an old warehouse beside the railroad tracks.

He and his wife bought the warehouse in December 2014. They believe it dates back to the 1920s or ‘30s and that it once served as a garage and shop for repairing Model A and Model T cars. One can still see the faint letters of a sign painted on the exterior brick of the building.

In the interim, they said, it had served as a cotton gin and as a feed and seed supply warehouse.

“We love telling the story about these old buildings,” Randy said. “It’s exciting.”

Even more exciting is the change folks in Holland have watched in their old downtown since the Byrnes opened their business in 2013.

The circa-1949 Esso station, which had begun operating as Ray’s Tire Service in the 1970s, had sat vacant since the Daughtrey family retired, Randy said.

Since buying the former gas station in 2012, the Byrnes renovated it and turned it into a busy automotive shop for classic cars. Visitors cannot help but notice the many nods to Suffolk’s drag-racing history — there’s even an old timing booth from the old Suffolk Raceway hanging from a wall.

Outside, the Byrnes have worked with Suffolk to improve their corner of the intersection, allowing the city an easement to build a brick-and-iron fence to match those on the other two corners.

“The town of Holland has been so open-armed to us,” Randy said, and he’s eager to return the hospitality by making improvements to some of its historic structures and sites. In the end, the Byrnes hope, the transformation will help bring people back to Holland.

When they’re done with the renovations at the warehouse across the railroad tracks, the Byrnes hope to make the building into a combination office and shop space that will evoke the spirit of a 1930s automobile dealership, with wood floors out front, a ramp to bring cars into the building and a concrete area with bays inside, where the magic of automotive restoration can take place.

Next door, in the circa-1910 Dutch Market, evidence of both automotive and architectural transformation is hard to miss. Antique cars and trucks in various stages of the restoration process line two sides of the main room. There’s a 1949 pickup truck that eventually will be East Side Rides’ “work truck.” There’s the old Datsun 280ZX and the ’36 Ford and a gleaming, cream-and-chrome Ford Super Deluxe 8.

The market was once a clothing store and a general store, and it had been vacant for about a year when the Byrnes bought the building in December. They’ve moved quickly to get the space working — Lisa’s office is already there — and they hope to get it in shape soon to serve as a showroom for cars they have on consignment.

“It’ll be like a dealership for classic cars,” Randy said.

By the time they’re complete, the Byrnes’ three Holland buildings will accommodate more than 15 work bays, storage, showroom space, offices and more. Perhaps one day, they said, they can use part of the warehouse to host village functions.

“Holland has just been perfect for us,” he said. “It’s kind of made us want to do all our business here.”