Business Spotlight Shines On Bee’s Auto Repair, Two Bees, Not One

by Linda Charlton

Back in 1924, there was a lot of construction going on in downtown Clermont. One of the structures that went up that year was a little building near the West Avenue/Montrose Street intersection. In 1982 Wayne Weatherbee opened his shop, naming it Bee’s Auto Repair. Wayne has died, but the business is still alive and active at that little shop on Montrose and West. Wayne’s daughter, 24-year-old Hailie Weatherbee, is in charge; and the process of moving from the old Bee’s Auto into the new Bee’s Auto across the street is well underway. The first of Bee’s mechanics, Papolo “Polo” Augusto officially moved across the street on Monday, July 26. Looking around at his new digs, a happy Augusto exclaims, “It’s good!”

Wayne Weatherbee grew up with a passion for making things run — preferably fast. His dad Charles “Charlie” Weatherbee fondly recalls an incident when Wayne was seven or eight. The child had just been given a three-speed bicycle. He proceeded to totally take it apart, spokes included. Charlie comes home, yells at Wayne for ruining the bike, then goes in to watch the news. After the news was done, he sees Wayne riding the fully assembled bike, and swears that it ran even better than before.

Wayne was a certified auto mechanic before he turned 18.

When Charlie retired in Miami from his career as a fireman, he and his wife Margaret “Peggy” Weatherbee moved to Clermont. They purchased the property at West and Montrose for Peggy to use as a real estate office. The property included the little building in the back, which had been a welding shop and at one point, according to Peggy, a parking garage. The Weatherbees turned the little back building over to Wayne and, as Peggy says, told him “there’s your shop. Make something of it.”

According to Peggy, the shop was always busy, even in the beginning. It was also daughter Hailie’s playground.

Hallie says, “I was just dad’s little minion, growing up and watching my dad greet customers and solve issues. It’s a mind game and you can see each mechanic figuring things out. That’s what fascinated me. I learned that repairing cars can be frustrating. Dad used to call this the busted knuckle garage. If you weren’t angry and busting your knuckles against a wall, you weren’t doing your job.”

Bee’s Auto has been a fixture in downtown Clermont for decades. When asked whether she sees Bee’s as being a presence in downtown Clermont for decades to come, Hailie’s answer is an immediate “yes.”

Bee’s Auto took an odd turn in 2006 when Wayne purchased what was then A&S Auto, across the street from his shop. He said at the time, “I just want to make a living for me and my daughter.” The ‘A&S’ building, which dates from 1940, was originally a gas station. Wayne’s plan was to expand the A&S building, then move into it. Fifteen years later, that is exactly what is happening. What happened in between is the odd part.

The “new” Bee’s Auto might have opened a few years ago, but in 2019 Wayne became ill with rare cancer. He died on New Year’s Day in 2020 or, more likely, a few minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve. He was 54.

As Hailie says, “my learning curve came when my dad passed away and I ended with all this in my hands. I’m good at math, but looking at figures and numbers and figuring out how to run a business — it was eye-opening.”

As a business owner in a rapidly developing and changing downtown, Hailie’s aim is to be a part of that growth and an integral part of the community. Her plan for the old shop is to keep it as a place for oil changes and brake jobs. The business will then have a total of eight bays, four on either side of the street. In preparation for the expansion, Hailie has already hired one additional person. The wooden sign at the old shop, the sign that Wayne made with help from a friend, will be restored. The two signs — facing each other across Montrose — will be basically mirrored images.

The Grand Opening, September 3 is set for 10 am – 2 pm. Not all details have been finalized, but there will be food; there will be a ribbon-cutting; there will be raffle drawings; live music, including sets by the Clermont Ukulele Group (Charlie Weatherbee is big into ukuleles); and there will be collector cars there from the Kings Ridge Car Club.

Speaking of the planned celebration, Wayne’s mother Peggy says “I believe we’ll have a nice day if the weather holds. I’m sure Wayne will be there.”

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The staff of the South Lake Tablet wishes Bee’s Auto and owner Hailie success. This is a bitter-sweet story. The building is a tribute to Wayne’s determination to defend his rights as a business owner.  Though he can’t be at the Grand Opening of Bees, his spirit will shine.