Michael Shaw, Fort Worth area native and owner of Fat Lip Customs, can’t remember a time when he wasn’t fascinated with automobiles. As a kid, he collected Hot Wheels, designed his own Lego cars, and souped-up his bicycles and remote control cars.
At the age of 13, Shaw redid the engine, body and interior of a ’55 Chevy, and at 16 he began customizing his ’93 Camaro.
Shaw found himself at a crossroads in August of 2006 while recuperating from one in a series of work-related injuries, and—ultimately—he decided to turn his passion for autos into a new vocation.
Small business runs in Shaw’s blood. For 16 years his parents owned a pool hall in Fort Worth, and he has family members all over the metropolis who own small businesses. In some ways, the name “Shaw” has become synonymous with “entrepreneur,” so this seemed like the next logical step.
Michael Shaw dubbed his new mobile enterprise “Shaw Coatings” since he was mainly covering truck beds with a spray-on polyurethane bedliner. He would also take on some more unusual jobs, such as spraying a 14’ x 20’ x 16’ F-22 Raptor fuselage transporter box with turquoise polyurethane for Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Shaw Coatings was based in Shaw’s garage until 2008 when it moved to it's current location in Haltom City. As his reputation for reliable, dependable service grew, so did his business among auto dealerships and individuals alike.
It wasn’t long before Michael expanded his services, turning the company into a true one stop shop. So, to better represent his growing and expanding brand, as well as a self-described “goofy” personality, Shaw changed the name of the business to “Fat Lip Customs.”
The one thing that hasn’t changed throughout the years is what Shaw describes as his “love for the process as well as the result,” and his original desire to make them both easily available to his customers. Shaw’s motto is “Our competition sets the standard for the industry average. But at Fat Lip Customs, we go above and beyond ‘average’ for you."