There were never any sharp turns on Frank Folweiler's career path.

"From learning to walk and on up," Folweiler said. "My mom used to say that I must have been born with a spray gun in my hand."Folweiler will soon celebrate 25 years owning and running Folweiler's Auto Body, West Ridge Street, Coaldale. He purchased the business from the Maruschak family.Folweiler, from Brockton, learned about auto body work at the Schuylkill Technology Center in Frackville. He started out as a body shop manager at a car dealership in Allentown.Soon he made the venture into business ownership, renting a two-bay garage on Route 309 in South Tamaqua."I realized it was never going to be big enough," he recalled. "I started looking around for a bigger place.He learned that the Maruschaks planned to sell their Coaldale business, which doubled as a body shop and motorcycle body and repair business. He purchased the shop in 1989 with all the equipment as a turn-key operation.Whitetails contribute to any body shop's success, he said."Around here, drivers are always plagued by deer; in fact, I just talked to somebody who had a deer run into the side of their vehicle," Folweiler said. "Bad weather, like the winter we just had, contributes to people needing body work."Although the causes of auto body damage have remained basically unchanged, he's seen changes in the degree of repair that's approved by insurance companies."With the mileages that you can get on a car, and with all the plastic in a car, the biggest change I see now is that often the cost of a repair will exceed the value of the car," Folweiler said. "So more and more the insurance companies are just totaling the vehicle, which is a shame because sometimes there isn't anything wrong with it mechanicially."Most vehicles hit that threshhold when they're about seven years old, he said. At that point, if the vehicle is in a collision which involves significant body damage, the costs of parts and labor will be at least equal to the value of the car."Just a plastic bumper cover can cost $500," he said. "On the old cars, the whole bumper would cost $100."Paints have also become more expensive, partly due to the urethane clear coat that's added. The most expensive color is red, due to the amount of pigment needed to create it.But despite the changes in costs, Folweiler's has managed to stay busy and thrive, even in the challenging climate that exists for businesses, especially in the automotive industry."I always did my best to make sure the customer left here satisfied," Folweiler said. "In a small town, you have to treat people right, and they'll be back."