Body Shop Opens in Historic Farmington Hills Building

A new family-owned body shop has opened in Farmington Hills, in a building that served as a local airport over 70 years ago.

NAPA AutoCare Collision Center, located at 28829 Orchard Lake Rd., had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 10. The facility is owned by a husband and wife, Neil and Lynn Adrian, with Neil’s brother Daryl Adrian serving as the shop’s general manager. Neil Adrian is also the vice president of Collision Craftsmen, which operates seven body shops in southeast Michigan.

According to Daryl Adrian, the experience the NAPA AutoCare Collision Center’s ownership has in the industry, along with a full-time staff of certified technicians, should make it an appealing option for area residents in need of body work for their vehicle.

“The biggest thing with us is the service and quality,” Daryl Adrian said. “We’ve been in this business for over 20 years, 22 years in the case of the owner.”

In addition, NAPA AutoCare Collision Center uses a computerized color matching system and has also made a commitment to being environmentally friendly, by using waterborne paints, which lower the amount of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and improve air quality.

“The ‘Big Three’ and most of the manufacturers in the auto industry are using waterborne paints so we try to imitate what they are doing,” Daryl Adrian said.

While significantly renovated, the building has housed automobile businesses for decades, most recently an Auto Solutions that offered a variety of services with body repair, mechanical work and car washes. However, it was originally an airport known as Krist Port.

Krist Port was the brainchild of Chris Kristian, who purchased the property in 1936. The airport was operational up until shortly after World War II ended. According to local historian Brian Golden, the airport did not live up to Kristian’s original plans, but did house many small aircraft and was a viable small-town airport.

For more information about NAPA AutoCare Collision Center, call the shop, 248-553-7500.

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