Three generations that work at the shop founded by Bert Purwin
Jon Purwin, Nick Purwin, Finn Riordan, Jim Purwin
Taking a car in for repair is never enjoyable, but the folks at Comstock Park Body Shop know how to make it a little more pleasant. “What makes people most happy is coming back to a clean car, vacuumed and washed,” said Nick Purwin, who with his brother Jim, owns and operates the Body Shop founded by their father Bert Purwin. Nick added that an advantage to their location at 4019 West River Drive in downtown Comstock Park is that customers can walk on the White Pine Trail right across the street or relax at one of the restaurants or the library in the next block while they wait for their car.
More than a half century ago Bert Purwin was working at a body shop in Grand Rapids. Bert and another employee, Russ Johnson, were interested in opening their own body shop. Bert’s wife Phyllis happened to be driving on West River Drive when she saw a building that she thought would be just right for the business venture. Bert and Russ opened Comstock Park Body Shop in January 1963.
That was sixty years and four generations ago. Johnson retired. Bert passed away in 2008. Phyllis and their three sons Tony, Jim, and Nick continued the business. Now Jim and Nick run the business. Tony has retired, although he still helps out and is still part owner of some of their other properties. Phyllis is no longer involved. More family members have joined the business. Jim’s son Jon Purwin is now foreman and production manager, and Tony’s grandson Finn Riordan is a body and paint technician.
Nick said the building his mother found “was affordable and suited to house an auto body shop.” Over the years the building housed a tire shop, a welding shop, and a steel truss manufacturer. The family made two major expansions to the building, which tripled the space. They purchased and tore down four nearby houses to make room for those expansions. They also purchased three nearby buildings, all almost a century old, that over the years had housed Hoover’s Garage, a dance hall, grocery store, bakery, and Helsel’s Barber Shop, among other businesses, to lease out space in those buildings.
In 2013, the family put a new façade on one of their buildings, and in 2014 they refinished the parking lot at the body shop. Both upgrades were made using a grant from the Comstock Park Downtown Development Authority’s Building Exterior Improvement Program. They also own a building on Leland St. that houses a cotton candy shop.
The body shop was a family affair from the get-go. The family lived in Grand Rapids, and the three sons worked at the shop throughout high school, starting out sweeping floors. All three liked the work and eventually became partners in the business. All three have schooling or military beyond high school, but their training in the body shop business has been primarily hands-on, with Nick Purwin noting, “Dad showed us what to do.”
They have factory certifications to work on many makes and models of cars and trucks, but their mainstay is pick-ups, Nick said. Tinkering on the family car is basically a thing of the past, said Nick. Employees need specialized training and continuing education for important certifications. He added that changes in the industry have required a huge investment in equipment. Nick noted that they work with all insurance companies.
“None of this would have been possible without our employees,” said Jim. The family is proud that so many employees have stayed with them long-term. Of their thirteen employees, three have been there more than thirty years and several more than twenty years.
Not only did the business grow, but the family did also. Bert and Phyllis had five children, and so far, there are more than seventy grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
(April 2023)