23-year-old Plymouth High grad revs up cool new business
Plymouth High School graduate Nate MacLellan recently opened a 14,000-square-foot facility in Livonia that stores and details custom cars.
How many 23-year-olds in southeast Michigan recently leased a 14,000-square-foot property to launch a business that provides cold-weather storage for many of the coolest cars around — and dazzling detailing services, no matter how slick the vehicle?
At least one: Nate MacLellan, a 2019 graduate of Plymouth High School whose ambition and hustle match the sprawling Livonia headquarters of Specialized Automotive, which he promotes as the “premier destination for the care and preservation of your prized automobiles.”
Soon after graduating from high school, MacLellan registered for auto mechanics courses at Washtenaw Community College while working at Vanguard Motor Sales, a classic-car dealership in Plymouth.
“While working at Vanguard, I did a lot of inspections on restored classic cars, which I loved doing,” said MacLellan, who added he’s been detailing cars since as far back as his sophomore year of high school.
“When one of my high school friends would get a new car, I’d go over and help them clean it up. I’d actually take a toothbrush with me to clean the wheels because back then I didn’t know there were actually specific detailing tools available.”
He knows now.
Sitting conveniently near the detailing bay is a construction industry-grade vacuum that includes a tool that can suck crumbs and other debris out the narrowest of crevices.
He took idea and drove with it
MacLellan’s idea for the class-car storage venture was ignited while working at Vanguard, which started offering similar storage services inside its 50,000-square-foot facility.
“Vanguard ran an Instagram post letting classic-car owners know they had space available for storage,” he recounted. “Within a week, all the available space was booked. That’s when I first realized there was a demand for a place like this.
“Businesses like this have thrived for several years in California and in, let’s say, New York City, which doesn’t have a lot of premier parking spaces for really nice cars. Surprisingly, though, there really aren’t that many storage businesses in metro Detroit, so I basically said, ‘Let’s do this!'”
MacLellan signed the lease for the property at 35451 Schoolcraft (just off I-96 in Livonia) in January, but a thorough renovation of the building delayed him moving in until mid-August.
The front lobby of the building is now exquisitely decorated with framed images of classic cars — and one entire wall of MacLellan’s office is covered with license plates from all 50 states.
Mr. Clean
The massive area where the cars will be stored is immaculate and maintains a perfect temperature for pristine automobiles.
“I have a detailing bay in the back and a washing area right beside it,” MacLellan said. “I’ve always taken pride in keeping my own cars incredibly clean, so this is the perfect business for me.”
Through word-of-mouth marketing, MacLellan has already started to fill his business with classic vehicles.
His current stable of cars includes a red 1975 Volkwagen Beetle with just 12,000 miles on the odometer; and a 1975 powder-blue Cadillac El Dorado convertible that has racked up 150,000 miles, but still looks as though it just rolled off the showroom floor.
And he recently detailed a dazzling Shelby GT 350 that sparkled under the sun on a recent autumn afternoon.
‘Just being around these cars is cool’
“I have space to hold 40 cars,” he said. “Due to the renovation, I got started a little late in the season, so I probably won’t be full this winter, but I’m shooting for 100% full next year.”
When it comes to being around high-end vehicles, MacLellan is like a kid in a candy store — although you won’t find any candy wrappers on the floor of Specialized Automotive.
“I’ve always had an interest in the collection-management aspect of cars, taking care of them and making sure they’re started when they need to be, things like that.
“Just being around cars like this (he pointed to a Dodge Stealth parked in his storage area) is cool, even if I don’t get to drive them.”
To learn more about MacLellan’s business, check out its website by clicking here.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
