old round fart
Well-Known Member
Somebody asked me how old I am. I replied 78 and they said “you don’t look it” I gave them my usual answer. I’m so fat all my wrinkles are pulled out.
Old age rant
- Thread starter Spanky
- Start date
I'm envious! 
Allow me to reminisce a little . . . when I was building my T-bucket there was a NAPA store near my house that had some drag racers as counter guys. What a pleasure it was to talk to someone whose first question was not, "Year-make-and model" every time you wanted a part. Once my car was running I took it up there to show the guys what they had been supplying parts for. They loved it! Sadly, NAPA decided that store was too small and they moved to a new store several miles West of that location, with aisles full of car polish and floor mats, and new counter people who fell in with the Y_M_A_M question crowd. (*sigh*)
Allow me to reminisce a little . . . when I was building my T-bucket there was a NAPA store near my house that had some drag racers as counter guys. What a pleasure it was to talk to someone whose first question was not, "Year-make-and model" every time you wanted a part. Once my car was running I took it up there to show the guys what they had been supplying parts for. They loved it! Sadly, NAPA decided that store was too small and they moved to a new store several miles West of that location, with aisles full of car polish and floor mats, and new counter people who fell in with the Y_M_A_M question crowd. (*sigh*)Attachments
Martin72
Member
I spent 6 1/2 managing a NAPA store back in the early '70's. We made it a point to know our parts and be able to help anyone that came in without whatever 'odd' (not in the book} parts they needed. Since we also made hydraulic hoses and stocked 'big-ole' truck parts, filters, etc., I made sure that all out HD and hot rod customers had home phone number with an understanding that I would open the store for them after hours if it was an emergency.
Now, fast forward to today. My local NAPA store just ignores walk-in customers. They are too busy answering the phone, pulling parts and delivering them to the repair shops in the area. When I did get someone's attention, I told him I needed a CS788 and a RR176 (yes, I still remember the part numbers). He looked at me with a blank stare and asked the 'duh, what year car'. I told him it was a 1980 Harley Davidson converted from electronic ignition using a points place out of a 1960 engine. He just mumbled, 'we don't have motorcycle parts' and started to walk away. BTW, those 2 part numbers are points and condenser for a 1970's Chevrolet with a 6 cylinder engine. I doubt if he would even know what they were if I showed them to him.
Now, fast forward to today. My local NAPA store just ignores walk-in customers. They are too busy answering the phone, pulling parts and delivering them to the repair shops in the area. When I did get someone's attention, I told him I needed a CS788 and a RR176 (yes, I still remember the part numbers). He looked at me with a blank stare and asked the 'duh, what year car'. I told him it was a 1980 Harley Davidson converted from electronic ignition using a points place out of a 1960 engine. He just mumbled, 'we don't have motorcycle parts' and started to walk away. BTW, those 2 part numbers are points and condenser for a 1970's Chevrolet with a 6 cylinder engine. I doubt if he would even know what they were if I showed them to him.
This raises a question: is it possible for an "old school" speed shop to make it in today's economy? What if you opened such a shop in a major metropolitan area and staffed it with retired gearheads who know their stuff, and let it be known throughout the community that this is the go-to place for car nuts to shop? Would it be successful? Hm.m.m..m...m . . . . 
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Martin72
Member
Spanky, in my opinion, I don't think it would be. Would the store be able to compete with the online dealers?
A good friend of mine (Dave) that I flew RC airplanes with opened a hobby shop in a nice strip mall in our town when he retired. He figured it would be a nice boost to his retirement pay. Wrong. He lasted 1 year, the term of his lease on the store. The internet was his biggest problem. People from the RC club would come in expecting discounts, but his prices were already as low as he could to be able to compete with online stores such as Tower Hobbies. In many cases, he could by kits, engines, etc from Tower cheaper than from his distributor. Then he had constant problems with dads buying RC cars that needed to be assembled. Dad would try to assemble them, break something or loose parts, then want to return it. He said he was relieved the day he closed the door for the last time. Time to enjoy retirement.
A good friend of mine (Dave) that I flew RC airplanes with opened a hobby shop in a nice strip mall in our town when he retired. He figured it would be a nice boost to his retirement pay. Wrong. He lasted 1 year, the term of his lease on the store. The internet was his biggest problem. People from the RC club would come in expecting discounts, but his prices were already as low as he could to be able to compete with online stores such as Tower Hobbies. In many cases, he could by kits, engines, etc from Tower cheaper than from his distributor. Then he had constant problems with dads buying RC cars that needed to be assembled. Dad would try to assemble them, break something or loose parts, then want to return it. He said he was relieved the day he closed the door for the last time. Time to enjoy retirement.
There is a hot rod shop in Tucson named Don's Speed Shop. It has been around for ever and is still going strong. Tucson has a couple of oval track raceways and a drag strip. No doubt the size of those three audiences keep the shop going. My personal experience (your mileage may vary) has been that any business can succeed if you locate it where the market is, offer more than the competition, and the market is not currently saturated. If you want to make money go where the money is.
