Bradley’s Collision Center fixing your automotive needs for last 60 years
Published 12:38 am Sunday, May 1, 2022
The collision center provides numerous services, including collision, bodywork, paintwork, antiques and restoration. (Chris Moore/The News)
A car waits a new front bumper at Bradley’s Collision Center. (Chris Moore/The News)
Bradley’s Collision Centers is located at 2639 Nall St. (Chris Moore/The News)
Bradley’s Collision Centers has been in business for 60 years. (Chris Moore/The News)
Some of Allison Bradley’s favorite jobs have been restoration projects. (Chris Moore/The News)
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PORT NECHES — Bradley’s Collision Center’s Allison Bradley knows she often speaks to customers during a difficult time in their life, therefore she tries to make the experience as pleasant as possible.
She uses the same values and principles her father and grandfather used before her.
For 60 years, Bradley’s Collision Center, located at 2639 Nall St. in Port Neches, has served Southeast Texas’ needs.
“Not only do I want to keep it in the family name and family oriented, I want to keep the same values,” Bradley said. “We work for the customers. We have customers of all ages that will call me on my cell phone on weekends and let me know they got in a wreck. We just treat everyone like family. That is how we want to be treated.”
Bradley has been a lifelong member of the shop and has fond memories of working there as a child.
“I have been working here for about four years, but I have grown up here,” Bradley said. “I was always down here. My dad was putting me to work at 8 years old. I would help the painter block stuff and get ready for paint. I would help them wash stuff. I was just doing anything I could.”
Bradley’s father bought the shop from his father when she was 1 year old.
“My grandpa would come in and help my dad a lot, obviously,” she said. “He managed it for a while to help my dad.”
Bradley’s Collision Center offers an array of services for vehicles.
“We do all collision, bodywork, paintwork, antiques, restoration and anything to help our customers out,” she said. “We do any type of maintenance work they need.”
She said she is happy to run the business and keep it in the family name.
“We have a great bond with the community,” she said. “They are what keep us going. That sounds bad because it usually involves a wreck, but we can help them feel better and take some of the pressure off them by dealing with the insurance company so they don’t have to worry as much.”
Not all interactions and business happens after wrecks. Some of Bradley’s favorite memories are of restorations.
“We did a ’71 Stingray Corvette,” she said. “I recently saw it on my Facebook memories. We did a full restoration on it. We restored it to the original paint job, which was a yellowish gold. We did it on a Thursday and on that weekend, she won best of color in a car show. It turned out amazing.”
Bradley said she was close with her dad, Sterling Bradley, who died last year.
“He was my rock,” she said. “He was my role model. He taught me everything I know. He taught me how to treat people. Ever since he has been gone, people come in here and say how much they miss him and how good he was. I want people to say that about me when I am gone.”
