Garret’s Rod Shop Crafts a Legacy of Cool Hot Rods and Street Machines in Columbus, Ohio
Garret Kitchen caught the car bug as a teenager and has been afflicted by it ever since. As he got older, Garret’s artistic traits and training as a diesel mechanic helped him design and build a series of hot rods for himself. By the mid-’90s he was able to turn his hobby into a business, Garret’s Rod Shop, that is thriving with some unique and outstanding builds!
Working in his home garage on his own cars, Garret was approached to take over a ’57 Chevy project that languished at another Columbus, Ohio shop. He completed that build and its debut in 2000 was well received. Garret’s stepson, Karl Schulman, says that project was the impetus for Garret to convert an old building on the family farm into a fully functional shop.
“He was building one car at a time,” Karl says, “but he was getting other people wanting stuff done – repairing hot rods.” What followed was the steady growth to today’s 20,000 sq. ft. shop and the 10 employees who are busy with multiple full-build projects as well as a steady stream of upgrade and repair work.
Continue the Legacy
Karl’s role in the Garret’s Rod Shop business began when Garret came into his mother’s life years ago. “He introduced me to the machining world as a possible career,” Karl says. “That’s where I ended up getting trained, working in machine shops. I actually taught machining at the high school level for 18 years.”
Karl decided three years ago to step away from his teaching career and work full time at the shop. He says his goal is to carry on the legacy Garret has started. “The shop is running in a way where Garret comes in every day to work on specific tasks and can let go of some of the day-to-day management,” Karl says, “but he is still vital and integral to the design and quality of the finished products.”
Educate the Customer
Garret’s involvement includes one of the shop’s most important tasks – helping potential customers understand the complexity of a full-build project, in addition to helping them decide whether Garret’s is the right shop for their project. Karl says Garret developed a good set of questions over the years: Why are you building this car, what is the car’s purpose, is the car too valuable (its originality) to cut up? The process also involves making sure the customer understands the time and cost involved with what could easily be a two- or three-year relationship.
“We research what the customer does,” Karl says. “We’re very up front. You can’t oversell in this business. We don’t quote nor promise a completion date. We have a thorough conversation about the project’s budget, and there is typically a figure that comes into mind that we can agree on in terms of the starting cost, depending on the parts and the level of build.”
Karl says they emphasize to a potential customer that the days of “we can do it for cheap” just doesn’t work out anymore. “From Corvette to Chevette, it’s going to be the same cost,” Karl says. “There’s the exact same treatment to it, from chassis to bodywork to engine. It won’t matter what the shell is, it’s still the same process. We’re going to be business partners for two or three years, so we have to be able to communicate and criticize both ways.”
After that initial consultation, if the business relationship doesn’t seem like a good fit, or if the customer has ideas the shop is not willing to do, the shop might decide not to take on the project. “We might tell a customer that Garret’s Rod Shop just isn’t the right shop for you,” Karl says.
Define the Result
Once the decision is made to work with the customer, there is still information to gather before starting work on the car. Karl says the next round of questions focus on how the car will be used (show car? driver?) and the foundations: engine, performance, etc. Customers and their goals change and it’s important to Karl and Garret to keep up with current trends. That usually means stronger engines, better handling, and modern creature comforts. A 400-horsepower car and an 800-horsepower car require different components.
“We’re doing a Corvette that’s got 1,000 horsepower, so we stress that we have to be safe,” Karl says. “We have to build this car for your safety, as well. We’re still building down and dirty hot rods that have a crazy amount of horsepower that has to be respected.”
Regardless of the starting point, Garret’s crew strives to build cars that meet the customer’s needs but also look fresh years later. The key for them is to try to build a vehicle the exudes a unique style as well as a timeless appeal. They’re also unafraid to tackle unusual projects.
“We’ve done some oddball cars in the past,” Karl says. “That’s what we like. We’ve always been that shop that wants to do something off the beaten path. It works for us.”
For the full-build projects, the crew at Garret’s Rod Shop does all the work, except for finished interior upholstery. Karl says they use their equipment to design and fabricate interior components, often using 3D printers, then send those pieces to a trim shop for final wrapping and stitching.
Future Considerations
While the long-term projects keep the shop operating on a regular schedule, Karl says they have a steady flow of customers who want maintenance or upgrade work done on hot rods and muscle cars. There’s a consistent call for fixing malfunctioning brakes, leaking seals, and tending to other wearable items, in addition to enhancements like installing air conditioning or making suspension upgrades. Karl envisions the possibility of opening a separate business – Garret’s Speed Shop, perhaps – to handle just those types of projects, allowing that work to be handled by a distinct staff.
“It’s hard to have a guy working on sheet-metal bending and then tell him that next week he’ll be installing an air-conditioning system,” Karl says. Such an expansion could have the repair/upgrade shop function as an entry point to possible full builds. He says that a customer who brings in his car for an upgrade could see the custom work being done next door and decide to tackle a full build in the future.
In the meantime, Karl says he can’t wait to get down to the shop every day. That enthusiasm has him excited about the future for Garret’s Rod Shop.
“I want to see the legacy continue. I love the hot rod world. You get bit by the bug to be in the car world. It’s turned into a nice business.”
And he wants it to stay that way.
Photos: Zach Miller
