Instead of turning into the parking lot on the corner of Bobcaygeon and Deep Bay roads in Minden each weekday morning, Jim Carrell will have to get used to simply driving by, albeit with a smile on his face.
Carrell retired from Minden Collision July 26 after spending more than 40 years working at the community’s longest-tenured body shop – the past 24 as owner.
He’s passing the business onto his son, Jeff, who will be the third generation of Carrells to run the business. Jim’s dad, Bill, first opened Minden Collision in 1976.
“He worked there and owned the shop for 24 years before he retired – it felt kind of fitting that I’d do the same,” Jim told The Highlander while surrounded by friends and family at a surprise retirement party last week.
When his parents decided to up sticks from Brooklin, ON and head north, Jim admits he was a little apprehensive. Leaving behind friends and potential career opportunities in the GTA, Jim completed his Grade 12 at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School before joining his dad at the family business. Reflecting years later, he said it was the best decision they ever made.
“This is a great community – it’s home. There’s no other place we’d rather be,” Jim said.
For years, Minden Collision was the only place to get your car fixed after a fender bender. Looking back, Jim said there have been some memorable stories.
“There was the day a lady phoned my dad and said a tree had hit her Bronco – we laughed at that one,” he said.
On another occasion, a friend called one morning to say his wife had been in an accident and totalled one side of her vehicle. He needed Jim to perform a quick fix.
“I just remember him being so mad, ‘I don’t know what she did, I think she swerved for a bird or something’. One whole side of the car was destroyed from colliding with a guardrail, but we got it fixed,” Jim said. “He comes in the next day to pick it up and had to clarify his story – his wife was driving down the highway with her windows down and a great big crow flew into the car and was flapping its wings trying to get out. She couldn’t see where she was going, so put it against the guardrail and slammed the breaks to avoid swerving into traffic.”
Jim’s mom, Elizabeth, told how her son always made sure to eat lunch at the shop – whether with his dad when he was younger, with his many employees over the years, and, more recently, with Jeff.
“He has always been big on community, on getting to know the people he worked with. You always knew where to find Jim at noon on workdays,” she said.
Rob Randles, a mechanic and windshield specialist at Precision Auto, said he’s worked with Jim a lot over the past 10 years. “He’d call me up to come and cut glass out of a car after a wreck, I’d usually see him at east once a week. We’ve always had a great relationship,” said Randles. “In 10 years, I never caught Jim on a bad day. He’s always so positive and has time for anyone.”
Now he’s retired, Jim plans to spend lots of time fishing on his new boat during the summer and ripping up the track at the Minden Ice Races in the winter.
Jeff, who has worked with his dad since 2018, said he isn’t planning any major changes at the shop. He thinks it’s “pretty neat” to be the third generation of Carrells to run the business.
“I’m just excited and proud to carry on their legacy,” Jeff said.
