Hi everyone...New on this site but not new to the hot rod/performance scene! I've built a few first gen Camaro's, 68 Charger, 70 Buick, 4x4's, and have been involved in drag racing, circle track and road racing as well!! I'm 40 years old and looking for a career change. I have been a jack of all trades and actually MASTERED many of them for most of my "adult" life. Never held a job any longer than 5 years. Always held some type of Mechanical or Electronic type job and am tired of this job hopping!!! (mostly due to me reaching the top of that ladder and getting bored!) I have been seriously considering opening some type of "speed shop" in my area. I've always wanted to have a speed shop selling "performance" parts. Never was that interested on the "shop/install" end due to most customers that would buy performance parts are the mechanicly inclined type individual who is working on their own cars! My concern has always been how lazy people have gotten over the years and just sit at home and order up their parts from Summit, Jegs and Speedway... I know geographic area play a lot in the market place of selling speed parts...and my area "seems" to still be quite strong in that marketplace. We have many local "cruise" spots in my area and one "MARCUS DAIRY" that can draw several hundred on a Saturday night! So...here are a few quick questions.....(many more to follow) Would you support a local parts store even if their prices were slightly higher than mail order shops? Do you actually mind waiting a day or two to get the parts? I would plan on stocking some common parts, but cant see carrying a monster inventory when I know that I can get the needed parts within 24-48 hours. Less inventory = less overhead that = better price to consumers. I've always thought that a speed shop should be open in the evening when peole get home from work. I was thinking about opening a shop at 3pm and closing around 10pm. Does that sound logical? Thanks! BANDIT
Here is the answer that you ask http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387017 Back away from the coffee
I try to always support the "little guy" but if its a little more expencive and I still have to wait a couple days than why not just order online? Also 50% of my car spending is a mad dash at 10pm to get the part to make it to work the next day. just my two cent, hope this helps.
I always look here first ! This is a site that has the same kind of cars I have so this is the best place to start out . If I don't see it I will put a wanted ad for what I need and about 90% of the time i will have someone have what I nead or know someone that has it . I also like it here is because I get to trade allot for my parts ! I look in swap meets and have done very well in yard sales of all places . Craigs is another good place along with on-line auctions . The speed shop places is the last place I look . I have no problem with used parts and if I can't find what I am looking for the I will use a parts catalog . All depends what you are looking for !
Just read that entire thread....pretty sad....almost wish somebody would pull the plug on the WORLD WIDE WEB and this country could go back to business face to face!
Don't do it.I know two guys that are out of buisness right now, Ben pilla on street road was there for over 20 years Now gone.Here's some advise Open up an auto parts store Sell to the public and try to line up shops.Auto parts not speed equipment.Mostly everybody here does mai lorder stuff. In my own opinion. Good luck whichever way you go.
It's definitely changed the world... not always for the best. BUT!!! just think... no www... no HAMB!
The internet makes it possible to do business face to face. I've met a half a dozen hambers picking up parts I bought off the classifieds. Parts that NO parts store would have.
I guess I was born 30 years to late!!! I wish Summit sold franchises!! Maybe it's time to bring back the ol' PERFORMANCE CENTERS OF AMERICA!!!! (PCA) I have other "ideas" but always wanted to run a speed shop....may have to settle for another dream!!
hard to make money customers bring in parts they bought jeg's, summit,speedway,or keystone,from full cages to shifters,you have to make enough to pay your overhead including your salary
Howdy neighbor Be nice to have something nearby, but like the others have said, the internet have us spoiled. I remember PCA, even when it was "Wheel city"
some body said you should do an auto parts store. that would work to. you can sell auto parts to retail and whosale customers and stock some speed equipment in your store. we have a local small chain here that does that. they can get anything that the mail order places do for there customers. I buy there a lot because I can order the part then look them over when they come in. no charge to refuse it if its messed up. the store can send it back. I like buying that way.
I buy from the Summit website, but for smaller misc. adapters, tuning parts, gaskets and fittings, I appreciate having a local speed shop even if I do have to pay more. The hours sound good, except I usually head out at lunch to pick up parts. CRAB
Hell, if you're lucky! Half the time the wholesale cost is more than what the big boys sell stuff for....
Best of luck to you whatever you decide. I've dealt with all three, speedway, jegs and summit, and haven't had any real problems with either of them. I also use the wrecking yard (don't laugh) and trading is big in the small town I live in. Only a handful of guys into the old car scene, and if we need something we just start asking around. If no one has it then it's time to get on the horn or computer and start ordering from those various parts places.
Local wrecking yard, speedway sometimes, local parts store all the time. I'm a big believer in supporting your community as much as you can.
You have the same dream I do! I've always thought like you as well as far as store hours. The little rinky-dink speed shop we use to have here in town...I swear they were open like 10AM to about 4PM Monday thru Friday and that was only if they felt like opening that day! Then they closed the store a few months back 'cus as they said "The big guys are killing us." It was their damn hours that killed them. There were more than a few times that I went by when they were supposed to be open and there was noone there lol....Then they had to order EVERYTHING!!! I can understand not stocking every part for every job but I was almost always told "Yeah I can order it." No kidding so can I, for less money lol...I've always tried to support the local businesses but this guy was killing me! If you treat people right and use the hours your thinking about and try and keep your prices decent you'd do ok. You're never going to beat the big guys on prices so you have to beat them on service. I always thought I'd try and have a cruise night a few times a month just to make sure people know you are there. Nothing attracts a crowd like a bunch of hotrods and race cars! Good luck and let us know what happens! Later Roger
Bandit There is also a huge factor that may have been left out of this equation TIME ! Almost always you will have to wait for the part as the local guy can not afford to stock every thing Whereas Summit has like 10 Warehouses full of stuff. So you firgure a hour maybe an hour and a half to run down, wait in line, Order your stuff just to do it all over again. Where on the internet you can do the whole thing in 15 min and it comes to your door! I for one would support the local guy as I do with "Beans Crankshaft" In ElCajon, Ca. but for the most part I order from Summit. I wish you luck on your dream
If this is too long of a read for you, or if it offends you, skip to the last paragraph. Everyone thinks everyone else is just like they are, or at least should be. That doesn't go over so well in business. You are setting up your business based on what's convenient for YOU and what YOU like. You only want to sell speed parts locally, at a higher price than mail order? Don't want to stock them? Don't want to install them? If I imagine myself as a customer, the only reason to buy from you is because I like to deal face-to-face. Is that enough reason to buy from you and not Summit? It will be for some. It won't be for others. You are filtering out customers. By just selling to people who buy speed parts and who just prefer face-to-face contact, you have filtered out a large number of people who would otherwise give you their money. Cast a wider net, catch more fish. If you also sold mundane, ordinary auto parts (for example) in addition to speed parts, you would catch those people as well. The money you earn from those sales will help fund your speed hobby. If you also serviced family cars, as well as hot rods, you would earn money from both. You are limiting your business to your local area; to hot rodders only; to those hot rodders who prefer face to face over mail order; to those local hot rodders who prefer face to face over mail order who also only prefer your face and not someone else's; and to local hot rodders who prefer your face to someone else's who also have enough extra money that they don't mind not getting a good deal at Summit. There are some of those people out there. You should try to get them. But there won't be enough of them to keep you in business. Some of the hot rodders in your area will go other places. You need more customers than just your local hot rodders. Did you know women buy more stuff than men? If you open a business with the thought that you are only going to do the things that are fun, that attitude will slowly creep into other parts of your business. You will soon fall behind on your taxes, forget to order stuff, and sit around drinking beer and bench racing with your buddies instead of doing the things you need to do to stay afloat. Instead of thinking about what's good for YOU, think about what's good for your CUSTOMERS and what THEY want. Think about how to reach customers you don't have yet. They are the ones with the money, not you. You can't give yourself money. They have it, you want it. Many of them are different than you. Get inside their heads and figure out what they want more than their money. Is it hot rod parts? Is it service? Is it cheap prices? Is it face-to face contact? Is it fast delivery? Is it a comfortable waiting room and clean bathrooms? Is it a hot-rod atmosphere? Is it a family atmosphere? Who care what you want! You're not paying yourself! You're going to have to do something for them or have something they want or else they will not give you their money. Cast a wider net, catch more fish. If you only focus your business efforts on what YOU like, then only people like you will shop there, and there ain't too many of us. You need more. If you want to sell nothing but speed parts, you are either going to have to "cast a large net" nationally to reach a larger crowd like Speedway, Jegs and Summit are doing, or you are going to have to "cast a large net" locally by selling something else besides speed parts. You might also consider going into the service end of things, even though you don't want to. Sometimes you have to let the business guide you to where the money is. A local auto parts place/repair shop that is known for it's hot rod work will make much more money than a hot rod shop alone. Once you have been in business for a while and built up enough hot rod customers to support yourself, then you can start focusing only on what you like to do. Although even then, you may find that the mundane end of the business is what is funding your hobby. Go where the money is. Don't assume everyone thinks like you. Arrogance will cost you more throughout your entire life than anything else. One last thought: You can use other people's drawing power if you still want to specialize. For instance, you can set up a speed shop right next door to an AutoZone. I mean within walking distance so that people can park at AutoZone and walk to your store on a whim. You can also open up next to a mechanic shop and a stereo shop. Many retailers are able to work together like this. That's why there are malls in almost every town - because they work. I hope I haven't offended you by presenting my opinion of perceived flaws in your plan. I am not smarter than you but I have been in business longer than you. And more importantly, I've talked to people who've been in business longer than either you or I and are twice as smart as you and I put together. I didn't come up with this on my own. Good luck. I sincerely hope you make this work.
Jeg's is my local speed shop I can be at any one of three stores in 20 minutes, and if they don't have what I need my kid drives past Summit on her way home from Kent State almost every weekend. I do order from Speedway fairly often, they never seem to have a backorder and the shipping is rediculously fast. I usually try to use alliance vendors first out of respect for what they do for us and the prices are usually in line with free shipping most times. As far as the local small guy sorry they allway's had piss poor service, and an attitude, and no stock.
i only order parts that i dont need right away that i know i can live wit out for a few days,i also order parts that have a huge price diference or example set of brake hoses for a 76 camaro/firebird advance auto parts:$38.99 each auto zone:$ 35.99 each speedway motors: $19.99 pair
just be care full, speedway sells a lot of junk. there new repop stromberg carbs are a prime example. I liken them to JC whitney, and dont spend money with them.
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