Tell us your name and the name of your business.
My name is Clay Winstead, and I am the owner of Winstead Paint & Body located at 5329 White Settlement Road in The River District.
Tell us a little bit about what you do at Winstead Paint & Body and how it got started here in The River District?
We work on pretty much every car out there. We do mostly body work, paint work, and a little bit of suspension work. My family and I all grew up right here in this area. My uncle, Bubba, is actually the one who started Winstead Paint & Body back in 1971. He found a love for working on cars after he decided to build one of his own (because to him, it was cheaper to build one than buy a new car!). He visited California a few times where he learned a lot about cars and then he came back to Fort Worth and started Winstead Paint & Body. In the mid-90’s, my dad, Ronnie, bought it from him and ran it until 2016. Then I bought it from my dad, and I plan on being here for another 50+ years!
What do you love about this location in The River District?
We love the people here in The River District and plan on staying here forever. We have a lot of great businesses here, like Heim Barbecue next door and Vernon’s Alignment & Automotive Shop. Then we’ve got Lettuce Cook right up the street where they have really good sandwiches, and of course great tacos over at Salsa Limón! You really can’t beat it here in The River District.
Has the growth in the area been good for your business?
We’ve definitely seen a growth of people coming in. We’ve been blessed with a great business and returning customers, but now we have a lot more new customers than we’ve had before. We also have a lot more foot traffic coming through since Heim opened up next door and from the apartments going up. You get more people, you get more business.
What changes have you made since your business started?
Back in 1971, my uncle and dad came here with basically just a two-car garage. They eventually needed more space so they decided to add on. After a few years, they needed even more space, so they built a bigger building and ended up tearing the building down inside the “new” building. In the mid-90’s, they bought the building next door and the property behind us. So now, we have two buildings that make up around 14,000 square feet. One of our buildings houses our offices and our body & paint technicians. The other building is where we do all of our frame straightening and bigger repairs.
What makes your business stand out from another?
Our customer service. When most people come into our shop, they’ve probably just had a wreck, so they’re not in the best state of mind. We want to make sure you feel at home when you come into our shop, and someone is there to greet you. Our business is still a family business, so when you come in, you can talk to someone whose name is on the sign out front. That’s rare these days!
