West Side Body Shop first opened its doors in 1968 on Dawson Road by Charlie Perry. The name West Side Body Shop came about due to the fact that they were located on the west side of Hopkinsville.
In 1976, Charlie’s brother Raymond joined him in the business. They were partners for 2 years and then in 1978, Charlie devoted all his time to farming and Raymond took over as the owner of West Side Body Shop. During this time Raymond’s brother Charlie still worked part-time as well as his son, Greg Perry joined the business.
In 1980, business had grown and they needed to relocate to a bigger facility located on 4th Street in downtown Hopkinsville. Due to the increasing business and to keep with current standards, West Side Body Shop added a down draft paint booth, frame rack and prep station. In the late 1980’s, Sisk Motors approached Raymond about taking over their existing body shop. After much discussion, it was decided to expand again and a second location of West Side Body Shop was formed. This location was managed by Greg Perry, Raymond’s son, and was located at Sisk Motors Body Shop off of Clay Street. Both locations were operated through the late 1990’s.
As Raymond decided it was time to slow down in life, the two shops were merged back to the 4th Street location, where his son Greg Perry took over the day to day operations.
In the winter of 2002, West Side Body Shop made their final move to their current location on South Clay Street in the former Ellis Ice & Coal Co. building. Since that time to today, Raymond & Greg Perry continue to own and operate the business with the same principles that it was founded on.
