Not Your Average Auto Parts

Coming from a small Pennsylvanian town lies a small, privately owned Carquest. Carquest is a national corporation that was, in recent years, bought by Advanced Auto Parts. For Mike Mummey, his Carquest has stayed the same for 25 years regardless of the intentions of Advanced Auto Parts. Owner Mike Mummey has lived in Palmerton, Pa all his life and upon graduating high school, Mike has worked hard his entire life to run the productive business he has owned for a quarter of a century.

Figure 1

Upon walking into this small structured building, the universally loved "new car" smell filled the nostrils. Bolts, tools, and small appliances filled the room as they sat on royal blue metal shelves that reminded me of shelves that a hardware store would have. The white tiled flooring bared a few black streaks from the shelves being moved on them. Straight back from the door was a large desk spread to the width of the store which held four company computers surely used by the cashiers (Figure 1). Hung on the walls were huge pictures in glass casings with black frames. The frames held pictures of old vintage cars that must have been employee favorites.

"This store is a parts importer where we order any kind of auto part you can think of. We buy from large corporations and distribute them to garages or the "do-it-yourself" workers who need the parts. We don't hire mechanics to fix cars, or even fix cars in general." Explained Mike.

The clarification between an auto parts dealer and a garage is needed when there is a fine line separating the two types of business.

"HEY!" exclaimed a new and merry customer who had a grizzly beard and a tan Carhart jacket which seemed to be the jacket of choice in this town.

"HEY! Ron, how are you doing?!" questioned the shorter, glasses wearing cashier that had not been visible behind the cashiers' computer before.

"Do you have those front brakes I called last week about?" the customer asked.

"Sure do. Here you go, and remember, those rear brake rotor sizes are larger in the back than the ones you got in the front. So just make sure you remember that when you're putting this in. Take care Ron I'll see you around buddy." the employee determinedly explained.

"Don't treat me like a woman Rick I know how to do this! Haha! Be good now." replies Ron as he exits the store. 

As Mike walks to the front desk to see what the yelling is about, he returns a loud shout to the now gone customer. Mike was 6'3 and had a lender statue. Dressed in jeans, a Carquest polo shirt, and sunglasses that look like a prop from the movie, The Matrix, the owner Mike retreats back to the back of the store where the main storage area was. This room was much larger than the one used by normal customers and was used mainly for storage. From the time a part came into the store until the time it left, here, on these much larger but exactly the same looking shelves as the front main room was where the part would stay. The shelves were 10-12 feet taller than those in the front and had many more and much larger parts (Figure 2). This room was organized part by part and even had an assembly bench for one or multiple employees to take parts apart or piece together for the customer. Brakes, tires, and mufflers were only a small fraction of the plethora of parts that were in this room. Not only did large parts stay back here but also the expensive, technical ones that are too valuable to hold in the front of the store.

Figure 2

On the way back to the front was the managers office where Mike, his co-manager and wife Michelle, and another assistant had their offices. Cluttered and filled with paperwork were two large brown mahogany desks that had a shine from the large energy-efficient light attached to the ceiling. Above the work spaces were cabinets of matching wood and color tone. In between the woodwork were pictures of family and friends. The 3 black leather rolling chairs looked new and didn't give much walking space in the room.

"The environment of this business has been the same for as long as I can really remember. Some of these workers have been here longer than I have and still teach me about the business that I own. Everything has been kept loose at the shop for a long time and I wouldn't want it any other way. I have a lot of respect for the employees here and they all show me respect as well. Our family here has worked together and made success for years." Mike had talked about while reminiscing a small amount. 

Private business gives many personal connections that do not happen in larger corporations and this shows true in Mike Mummey and his Carquest. His relationship with his family, customers, and employees have never been looked at as separate things. Calmness and friendship filled the air as the "new car" scent had surely become unnoticed. This auto parts store is writing a great story that integrates professionalism with a loose family setting that couldn't have been written anywhere else besides in a small town that holds a small auto parts store.