Former aerospace employee W. David Isley founded Dr. Vinyl in 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his wife, Marcia, worked with local restaurants, repairing torn, burnt, chipped and peeling vinyl booths and chairs, but soon discovered there were many similar repairs to be done at car dealerships. The couple did repairs for clients in the Kansas City area until 1981, when they began franchising. Dr. Vinyl franchisees offers bumper repair, automotive paint touch-up, paintless dent removal, and vinyl siding repair in addition to the leather and vinyl repairs the Isleys introduced over 40 years ago. In January of 2001, Dr. Vinyl was sold to Richard Reinders, formerly the company's European Master Franchisee. It now allows franchisees to purchase shares in the parent company.