Staff Writer
Bell’s Body and Paint Shop located at 8 Highland Avenue in celebrates 40 years serving the Caribou area this year. The local auto body is owned by Frederick J. Bell, who’s father Frederick E. Bell began the business in 1968.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Fred Bell, owner of Bell’s Body and Paint Shop has been repairing vehicles at the Caribou area body shop since he was in high school. The shop which was originally opened by his father has been running for 40 years.
According to Bell his father had been working for Northern Sales and Service, formerly the Chevrolet dealership in town, located where Beaulieu’s Garage and Body Shop is now, where he did auto body work. In order to bring in a little extra cash his father did some repair work from home for locals at night and on weekends, along with a friend.
“He had two sons and five daughters and he had to find a way to feed them all,” said Bell.
Eventually Bell found that he had too many customers to handle at night and over the weekends, and he decided to leave Northern Sales and Service to start his own business from home.
In 1975 Bell purchased the building at 8 Highland Avenue, where the business has resided ever since.
Originally the shop dealt mainly with painting vehicles and repairing rust damage, with some collision repair. Today, the shop mainly specializes in collision repair.
Bell began working with his father part time while in high school and became a full time employee in 1976. When his father passed away in 1985 ownership passed to Bell’s mother Marjorie. He took over as manager for his mother until he and his wife Lynn purchased the business in 1994.
Today Bell employs four auto body technicians, Darrell Espling, Stacey Turner, Matthew Wakem and his son Alex, who began working at the family business after high school.
Bell noted that he has enjoyed working at the auto body shop over the past 30 plus years, in part due to the many people he has met.
“I’ve met a lot of people, 99 percent good, and we’ve got a lot of loyal clients,” said Bell.
Along with customers Bell has enjoyed the opportunity to work with a number of talented technicians over the years, which certainly includes his current staff, according to Bell.
“All the people we have now are really good technicians, and the quality of work they do is excellent,” said Bell.
Bell’s Body and Paint Shop is open from 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday with winter hours on Friday from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. as winter is usually the busiest time of year for the shop.
For more information about Bell’s Body and Paint Shop call the shop at 492-6721, or stop by the Highland Avenue location.
