The Car Boutique ~ Beyond Tint

from The LocaL, June-July 2021

FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO COLUMBUS

Enjoy A Cooler Ride For The Summer

by Sundi Rose

Ryan Collins, loves cars so much he has spent most of his life in the industry; 15 years, in fact with the last seven devoted mostly to learning everything he can about window tint. That passion has become what is now known as The Car Boutique, the latest addition to the car accessories business here in Columbus, offering services that will keep you coming back time and again.

After spending just a few minutes with Ryan I could tell he really knows his stuff and he’s about to change the tint game in Columbus, in a big way.

Ryan works with vehicles of all shapes and sizes that are immaculately made-to-order and you’ll be able to recognize Ryan’s signature style by the attention to detail and the care he takes in getting everything just right. Nothing leaves Ryan’s shop that isn’t up to the highest standards, and he will gladly take as long as needed to insure every job is done just the way you like.

Coming to us from the high mountains of Denver, Colorado, Ryan started out learning his craft here in Columbus, under some of the most successful businesses in town. Most recently working with Vince at Carnoisseur Detail Studio (3885 Miller Rd) after spending a few years at Chico’s (429 Veterans Pkwy). Before he ever learned how to tint, he worked at Toyota for many years, acquiring all the myriad skills it takes to offer the car accessories and services Car Boutique does now.

However, he quickly learned that being your own boss is where it's at, and opened up his own shop in 2019, where he works most days from early in the morning to late in the evening.

Now at his own place on 54th Street at 148A Challenger Court. Ryan has honed his skills to produce the kind of quality services his customers have come to expect. Including hand scraping the old tint using a razor blade, with a technique Ryan created himself.

It may not seem like getting your windows tinted could be that big of a deal, however, Ceramic Tinting is big news for those of us who have to be in a car during the summer months. This is no ordinary tint, folks. This product not only darkens your windows (if you want it to) it also literally blocks the heat and will keep your car significantly cooler, even in direct sun.

Ryan sells machine-cut tint with unsurpassed quality and offers a lifetime, no-fault warranty for all his services and labor. This means, after one trip to the Car Boutique, you can sit in your car after a long day of work and not have your breath sucked right out of you from the heat. No more frying eggs on the dashboard or third-degree burns from the seat belt. With peace of mind as well.

While on our tour, Ryan showed me a 1951 Ford F1 pickup that he’s been working on that would be a contender for one of the “coolest things I’ve ever seen” award.

He’s definitely a hustler.

The headline may be the tint, but that is far from the only thing Ryan and the Car Boutique have to offer. You’ll find a wide variety of car accessories from brands such as WeatherTech and powder coating from Autobahn. He really takes a special pride in getting things just right, and it’s no surprise that he’s a project guy as well as a car guy. There is a converted school bus sitting at his shop right now, for which Ryan did the custom metalwork and air ride suspension. It’s really something and it’s a significantly cooler place with the signature ceramic tint in place.

Ryan loves a challenge and he really tries to keep all the work in-house, which accounts for all the long hours he puts in. This also means his turnaround is unbeatable. Most of the tint jobs are same-day service, and you can really tell how much he loves the work he does. This might explain all the raves he gets on Yelp - some of the highest in his industry, in fact.

As you can imagine, summer is his busiest time, and it will start to pick up soon, especially as the temps start to climb and it becomes increasingly uncomfortable to be in your car. But no matter how hectic the business gets, at his heart, he still just loves cars. He hosts a monthly car meet-up on the third Friday of every month where other car people can come and just appreciate the work.

He holds the meet-up at his shop which is right behind Players Billiards on 54th. You can find him on Facebook @TintGuy and on Instagram@CarBoutiqueGa. If you want to keep things analogue, you can just call him right up at 706-570-0242.