ROCKWELL CITY — Nathan Gentry isn’t just a business owner in Rockwell City. He is also active in his community.

Gentry owns Gentry Restoration and Kustoms at 308 Fifth St. in Rockwell City, where he works to restore a variety of vehicles.

“I have done everything from brand new vehicles to the old, old stuff,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Nathan Gentry, owner of Gentry Restoration and Kustoms, turned a hobby of restoring cars into a profession.

Gentry was raised in Rockwell City where his parents, Dale and Lynne Gentry, both taught in the Rockwell City school system.

“I have strong ties to Rockwell City,” he said.

Gentry attended Iowa Central Community College for two years studying art. After receiving his education there, he decided he wanted to pursue an education in restoring cars. He studied at WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming, for nine months, earning a degree in collision refinishing with an emphasis from a specialty course in hot rods.

Gentry said his love for restoring vehicles came from his dad.

“I decided I wanted to build cars,” he said. “My father used to build cars in his spare time for fun — as a hobby and as a stress relief from school. I turned his hobby into a profession.”

Gentry said he has a love-hate relationship with just about every vehicle he works on.

Currently, one of his favorite jobs has been on a 1974 Plymouth Barracuda.

“The color was good. The color match worked out very well; it was a good repair,” he said. “I was really happy with how that came out.”

Another special restoration project for Gentry was a ’71 Heavy Chevy.

“It was new for a client when he was 16 and his grandfather helped him buy it,” he said. “I have rebuilt that car from the ground up. It’s so cool the owner still has it and the stories that are there.”

For Gentry, restoring cars is more than just a project or a job.

“It’s the people and the progression,” he said. “I get to help that guy out. The stories and the cars are cool, but it’s more or less the stuff you get to do for the people.”

Returning to Rockwell City

Although Gentry said he left town for awhile to receive his education, he knew he wanted to return back to his hometown, estimating he made his return back to Rockwell City in 2005.

“Having family here was a big draw,” he said.

Another benefit to moving back home was the facilities that were waiting for him to open up his business.

“Dad already had the building and the shop,” he said. “He was at the point he was retired, he was still involved, but it was more of a go-ahead for a business for me than his.”

Another draw to coming back to Rockwell City was the perks of living in a small town.

“Nothing beats your hometown — just some of the small town culture itself,” he said. “Although everybody knows your business, they also watch out for you. It can be a great thing.”

Gentry is active in his community as a member of the city council as well as fire captain on the Rockwell City Fire Department.

Gentry wants people to come to Rockwell City.

“Just come check us out,” he said. “We’ve got things happening. We have a lot of new businesses rolling into town. The square is really coming back, and we have a few new businesses opening up on the square as well as a great couple of restaurants in town.”

Gentry said he would like to beat the mentality of “it’s a small town so let it die.”

“We are kind of hoping to turn that around,” he said. “It’s an old town, but things are starting to progress. Rockwell City will never be Ankeny, and we know that, but we really would like you to want to be here.”