SHANNON MCLELLAN
Local auto-body paint & repair man Roy McLellan is hanging up his paint gun as he enters his fortieth year in business this April. The owner of The Body Shop, located on Highway 29 in Smiths Falls, has spent 50 years in the trade.
The 40-year celebration comes at a bittersweet time as McLellan has made the challenging decision to close the doors and enter retirement due to health reasons. With no one to take over the business, McLellan has decided to put the shop and property up for sale later this year.
“I’d like to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you to all my former employees and customers,” McLellan said. “I was fortunate to meet many great people throughout this journey.”
McLellan shared with us where it all began.
“I’ve painted everything from airplane parts, to anything on wheels. I’ve painted just about everything over the years, everything short of a train,” McLellan commented with a grin and twinkle in his eye.
McLellan discovered his love of the craft when he was just 13 years old, working on small jobs around the farm. He harnessed his talent and went on to start in the trade at C & B Motors at the age of 16. With a full license under his belt just 3 years later, Roy began his own venture in Franktown at the age of 19 where he would spend the next 4 years before taking a job for then-owner of The Body Shop, Lennie Kilburn. McLellan later took over ownership in 1985.
When asked how he plans to spend his retirement, he said, “I plan to spend time working on projects of my own and enjoy more time on my property in Numogate.”
