Snap Shop: Stuart’s Paint & Body in Grapevine

“Grapevine is our flagship location for Stuart’s Paint & Body,” McKinney said. “It has full visibility from the highway, with about 160,000 vehicles driving by every day providing amazing exposure for the brand. It was critical that the aesthetics of the certified facility really wow our customers and provide that great in-person experience.” 

Unlike Stuart's Plano shop, which was a converted building, the Grapevine location is a brand-new building with an 18,000 square foot production area. However, QCG kept the internal layout very similar to Plano’s already successful model. The bays are not tall enough to accommodate larger vehicles like delivery vans, but McKinney said it was a strategic decision because they’re working on a new Stuart’s building in Fort Worth that will have a taller booth. It has a quarantine area outside the shop for tow-ins of EVs and a clean room for aluminum repairs. The Fort Worth shop and a new shop in The Colony are both expected to open in 2026.

“We wanted just to be able to bring a high-end level of collision repair to the Grapevine and surrounding markets there,” McKinney said. “A lot of those customers haven't really had an alternative other than some of the dealers have shops. It has not been really convenient to Stuart’s across town, right? So, we're trying to bring that level of service and quality to that market.”

The notable difference from the Plano shop is the additional training space totaling 1,200 square feet. The Grapevine location features an upstairs area with a break room that is large enough for training. 

“It's got a really nice, oversized break room that can easily be converted to training and then the second half of it is there for future trainings, which could easily be skills testing and that type of hands-on stuff up in that in that area,” McKinney said. 

One aspect QCG wanted to replicate in the new building was the paint protection film room. McKinney said PPF is a “lifesaver” and makes a noticeable difference in reducing rock chips when looking at cars driving around the DFW area that have had it applied. They have a partner that can also do wraps for commercial vehicles.

“Stuart’s Plano does have an indoor air-conditioned facility for PPF and does quite a bit of business through there. So, we knew we wanted to replicate that,” he said. “It's something that our dealers don't require, but they really are looking for a good partner that can do that because it's an easy upsell, especially on high-end cars.”

Cars progress through the shop in a circle. A vehicle enters through access lanes for blueprinting and drafting of a repair plan. It progresses from the body technician, through prep, to paint, then out to the polisher before returning to the body shop for reassembly and detail. 

“There's obviously 100 steps in between there, but simplified, it's a big circle and the goal is to have a complete repair plan, all of the parts, all of the approvals,” McKinney said. “So, the car comes in the building, and it doesn't leave until it's finished. That's in a perfect world.” 

The shop will continue to employ the same equipment used by the other Stuart’s locations – Blowtherm paint booths, Car-O-Liner frame and measuring equipment, and Eurovac central vacuum systems. McKinney said their OEM certifications and dealer sponsorships influence their equipment choices.