Detroit Pistons backup point guard Lindsey Hunter likes his cars highly original -- and that's why he opened a body shop in Sterling Heights, about 20 miles north of Detroit, less than three months ago.

Not long after Hunter was toasting the Pistons' NBA championship run, he learned of a custom car business that soon would be going out of business. A longtime car aficionado, he had been interested in owning such a company for a long time, knowing how lucrative the business can be. He had spent a lot of money through the years tricking out his own cars.

Hunter and business partner James Tolston III bought the shop Oct. 1, revamped it, and renamed it Detroit Custom Concepts.

"To me, the best fit for this type of business is in Detroit," Hunter said. "This is the Motor City, and what better place to have a custom shop than here? The opportunity presented itself to me to do something that I have a passion for and love being around, so I jumped on it."

Hunter's own car collection includes a 1960 Cadillac Coupe DeVille with 7,800 original miles, a 1992 Chevy Typhoon (the first car he bought when he moved to Detroit) and a 1999 Corvette he makes over every year.

Hunter wanted to tweak the business a bit. Mostly, he wanted to create a specialty niche, capitalizing on his reputation as a well-liked NBA player who has the influence and contacts to attract others like him.

But Hunter also says his shop is accessible to everyday folks who want smaller jobs.

"You can come in and spend $100 in here or $10,000 -- it depends on what you want," he said. "We don't just cater to one aspect of it. You can come in and get a remote starter on your car as well as come in and get a system that's nice and fits your budget."