Collision Repair From The Family That's Done It Since 1965.

Deer strikes, hail, or a fender-bender on 71 — THE Body Shop has been fixing cars and trucks on Hwy 71 in Willmar since 1983. Family-owned, passed from father to son.

Call (320) 235-0095 Get Directions

Family in the trade since: 1965
On Hwy 71 since: 1983
Family-owned & run: 2nd Gen
Workmanship guarantee: Lifetime

How It Works

What To Expect

Call or Stop In

Tell us what happened — deer, collision, or hail — and we'll get you on the schedule.

Get an Estimate

We look the vehicle over and tell you what it needs before any work starts.

Repair & Pickup

We do the work in our shop on Hwy 71 — backed for as long as you own the vehicle.

Father To Son, Since 1965

Our History

1965–68

Steven graduated from Hector High School and worked a summer at George's Body Shop while studying to be a teacher at SCSU — and never went back. A local Chevrolet dealer offered to put up a building and rent it to him and a friend so they could open their own shop.
1969–70

When that first building burned down a year in, they worked out of a one-stall garage in Hector while building a new shop — Paintin' Place. About a year later, Steven's partner bought him out.
1971–82

Steven worked at Rodelius Ford in Willmar, then rented a garage behind Perkins, then bought the contents of Fred's Imports — backed by a $5,000 loan from his father-in-law and the words, "If you can't make a go of it, you have no one to blame but yourself."
1983

Steven leased, and later bought, the shop's current home on Hwy 71 — expanded with additions over the years that followed.
2011–16

Steven's son Jake joined the shop in 2011, and in 2016 officially purchased it — keeping it in the family.
Today

THE Body Shop is family-owned and run by Jacob & Amanda Eckerman, on the same stretch of Hwy 71.