A Fourth Generation Family Business
At the core the of the Smith Muffler story stands Lew, a man molded by early experiences of hardship and scarcity. These challenges ingrained in Lew from an early age the importance of resilience, commitment and hard work.
Born in 1931, Lew's childhood was marked by adversity. At the tender age of six, Lew found himself standing in a soup line following the 1937 flood. From that point on, Lew understood hunger intimately and it became part of his ethos - if you wanted to eat, you worked. To him, work was not a choice, but a necessity.
Lew grew up helping his father at Smith Auto Parts, laying the foundation for what would become Smith Muffler. But fate had other plans; in 1952, Lew was drafted into the U.S. Army and deployed to Germany during the Korean War. Two years later, he returned to find the family business teetering on the brink of collapse.
Undeterred, Lew threw himself into the fray, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk, seven days a week. His unwavering determination, coupled with a keen business sense, became the driving force behind the company's revival. Lew was confident and unafraid to take risks or tell you exactly what he thought. He displayed a handwritten sign in his office that read: "Lew Smith is NOT a bank! NO LOANS!" Despite this sign, he was a generous soul with a gruff exterior that harbored a heart of gold.
In 1961, Lew married Marilyn Jean Hall, and together they raised two sons, Alan and Mike. Despite the demands of family life, Lew's commitment to the business never faltered. Plans for expansion took shape in late 1965, and by the following year, the iconic Smith Muffler shop stood proudly at the corner of 5th and Main, referred to by the Smith family as “home plate.”
With six garage doors and ten service bays, the shop embodied Lew's vision—a testament to his dedication and foresight. Operating six days a week from 8am - 5pm, Smith Auto Parts became an establishment that customers came to trust. By the mid 70s, the exhaust business boomed as exhaust systems were not built to last. As a result of the increasing demand for new exhaust, in 1976 Lew changed the business name to "Lew Smith Muffler and Parts.”
The early 80s welcomed the help of Lew's sons, Alan and Mike. Mike fondly recalls memories of his childhood, jumping on his bike after school to ride straight to the shop to help his dad. Lew rarely missed a day at the shop. Over the years, many employees came to know and understand what he expected, "work, work and more work." Often his first question to a new hire was "Do you know how to work a broom?"
Lew came to work every day until he no longer could, passing away in March 2014. His legacy lives on, literally in the rafters. After Marilyn died in 2008, he welded a metal box to the rafters in the middle of the shop and told his sons that his ashes were to be placed in that box so that he could continue to watch over us. His wish was granted.