It is fall and the season of “homecomings” – and local entrepreneur Will Smith is celebrating a homecoming of sorts himself – coming back to Katy and opening Katy Car Care.

Smith has been in the automotive industry for 52 years. He had his first business in Katy in the 1990’s, founding Smith’s Car Care at Fifth Street and Katy Fort Bend Road in 1996. Smith had been operating Firestone stores for nine years but decided that he wanted to run his own shop. He coached at Faith West Academy for three years and his wife Jeanette taught at Katy High School. “We were always huge supporters of not just the Katy athletics but KHS as a whole,” he said. They gave back to the community in a number of ways, helping struggling single parent families and “doing anything and everything we could” for Katy High School

In 2015, Smith gave the Smith’s Car Care business to his son, Brian, because “that’s what parents do,” he said. He also divested himself of other businesses that he owned at the time, including a muffler shop, a bar and an icehouse in Brookshire. Smith then moved into the consulting business, relocating to Orange to be near other grandchildren. He eventually went to work for Christian Brothers in Beaumont.

But then opportunity knocked, and Smith saw a way to go back to what he loves doing – fixing people’s car problems in Katy. So, in July 2025, he opened Katy Car Care at 630 Katy Fort Bend Road, near Kingsland Drive with four employees, specializing in full automotive repair.

But Smith does not feel that his new shop is competing with son Brian’s business. “My only competition is me,” he said. “Other than the size of the shops, there is no difference between Brian's shop and mine. We both believe that honesty and integrity are what makes you successful. We both do it the right way by not overcharging customers and by developing relationships, not business transactions.”

But one thing does stand out about Katy Car Care – and it is the delicious cookies at the counter, baked fresh and beautifully decorated by Smith’s wife Jeanette. How did that idea come about? “Because she told me to,” Smith said. “Jeanette has always tried to provide homemade goods for the customers.”

Smith looks forward to the future of his new enterprise. “We take a lot of pride in our work,” he said. “We try to put out the best product possible. The main objective is our family service.”

What else should readers of the Katy Times know, we asked. “GOOOO TIGERS!!!” he replied.