The empty lot next to Sonic on South Kingshighway (in front of Home Depot) has a sign indicating that O'Reilly Auto Parts is building a store there. Although I see little need for another auto parts store (the site is only about six blocks from Auto Zone), it's nice to know that the long-barren lot will finally be improved.
It's amazing how many auto parts store there are. Does anybody even fix their own car anymore?
^It does seem that more people used to fix their own cars. I think the main reason may be that the older models were a lot easier to work on than the ones today, with their onboard computers and such.
Also, a lot of people seem so busy these days, so having a mechanic fix the car frees up extra time to do something else.
Also, a lot of people seem so busy these days, so having a mechanic fix the car frees up extra time to do something else.
haha Have you seen the AutoZone/O'reilly's building battle at Gravois and Mackenzie???
The two are literally a few hundred feet from each other.
O'Reilly's was clearly getting more customers because of their far superior customer service, so AutoZone built a new building directly in front of O'Reilly's, completely blocking them from Gravois.
As for people working on their own car, I do 90% of the repairs and maintenance on my family's cars.
As the economy gets worse and worse, you will see even more business at auto parts stores from people who will now do it themselves and save money.
You are getting screwed every time you take your car in for service at a repair garage, no matter how nice they are or how long you've been going there as a customer. The markup on parts alone is criminal.
The two are literally a few hundred feet from each other.
O'Reilly's was clearly getting more customers because of their far superior customer service, so AutoZone built a new building directly in front of O'Reilly's, completely blocking them from Gravois.
As for people working on their own car, I do 90% of the repairs and maintenance on my family's cars.
As the economy gets worse and worse, you will see even more business at auto parts stores from people who will now do it themselves and save money.
You are getting screwed every time you take your car in for service at a repair garage, no matter how nice they are or how long you've been going there as a customer. The markup on parts alone is criminal.
Bevo Bill wrote:
You are getting screwed every time you take your car in for service at a repair garage
Well, yeah, unless you have neither the time, knowledge, skills, nor the equipment to do it yourself.
For an autostore battle you should see Collinsville. On IL 159 there's an O'Reilly's directly across the street from an Autozone which is probably 200 feet down from an Advanced Auto Parts.
Drove by the O'Reilly site today, and workers were creating the building's foundation. Guess they're planning on putting this store up pretty quickly.
BTW.... I read somewhere that this center, which currently includes Home Depot, Deals, NTB and Sonic, is called "American Plaza". Never seen any signs signifying this, though. I suppose the HD sign kind of dominates things.
I doubt that O'Reilly's parking lot will have an entrance directly off Kingshighway. It will probably be like the other businesses in the center and be accessable by entering at the traffic signal.
BTW.... I read somewhere that this center, which currently includes Home Depot, Deals, NTB and Sonic, is called "American Plaza". Never seen any signs signifying this, though. I suppose the HD sign kind of dominates things.
I doubt that O'Reilly's parking lot will have an entrance directly off Kingshighway. It will probably be like the other businesses in the center and be accessable by entering at the traffic signal.
I'm not too hot on the medium box retail that is the "American Plaza" or whatever it's called. There's more than enough small businesses to do away with that whole retail outlet.
Best auto parts store in South City = Southwest Auto Parts on Southwest, but you can't beat the deal on a bulk oil and filter purchase from Wal-Mart. I do AT LEAST 90% of the maintenance on my family's cars, and working on your car in a city alley is old school cool.
Lastly, the person that made the comment about car computers obviously doesn't crack their hood very often, or just enjoys that $75-99/hr labor rate at the mechanic's shop. You'd actually be very surprised, especially on Japanese made automobiles, in how "DIY mechanic friendly" car engines are being engineered these days.
Best auto parts store in South City = Southwest Auto Parts on Southwest, but you can't beat the deal on a bulk oil and filter purchase from Wal-Mart. I do AT LEAST 90% of the maintenance on my family's cars, and working on your car in a city alley is old school cool.
Lastly, the person that made the comment about car computers obviously doesn't crack their hood very often, or just enjoys that $75-99/hr labor rate at the mechanic's shop. You'd actually be very surprised, especially on Japanese made automobiles, in how "DIY mechanic friendly" car engines are being engineered these days.
^Most people don't even know how to check their oil. No, I'm not exaggerating.
As for me, I get all my work done for free by a professional mechanic. He may be my father and can do it any time I want, but the last thing I ever care to do is work on my truck myself. I'd be confused as sh*t. About the only thing I do myself is change the oil, filters, and tires, and that is because I can put it up on the rack and have all necessary stuff at my finger tips. And that's coming from the son of a very good mechanic. Most people can not work inside the engine, open up the axle, work on their transmission, etc. Yes, things like brakes or oil changes are not that difficult, but most people can't or just flat out don't want to do that work. I lost a brake pad and destroyed a rotor and all the seals for the axle a couple weeks ago. No way I'd be able to do that.
I'll agree with you about the shopping center. The Home Depot is very convenient, but the rest of it is just to blahh for me.
As for me, I get all my work done for free by a professional mechanic. He may be my father and can do it any time I want, but the last thing I ever care to do is work on my truck myself. I'd be confused as sh*t. About the only thing I do myself is change the oil, filters, and tires, and that is because I can put it up on the rack and have all necessary stuff at my finger tips. And that's coming from the son of a very good mechanic. Most people can not work inside the engine, open up the axle, work on their transmission, etc. Yes, things like brakes or oil changes are not that difficult, but most people can't or just flat out don't want to do that work. I lost a brake pad and destroyed a rotor and all the seals for the axle a couple weeks ago. No way I'd be able to do that.
I'll agree with you about the shopping center. The Home Depot is very convenient, but the rest of it is just to blahh for me.
I doubt that you could find such a study, but I wonder if the location of that Home Depot has accelerated some of home remodeling in that area both from individual home owners and professional rehabbers? I know that the big companies probably have outside contracts for materials, but that Home Depot sure helped me re-do my kitchen a two years ago when we lived on McDonald Ave.
^I've heard that the Home Depot store there is the busiest/highest volume sales for Home Depot in the region.
JakeKTU wrote:^I've heard that the Home Depot store there is the busiest/highest volume sales for Home Depot in the region.
That's undoubtedly true. Years ago, when Central Hardware on Manchester near Hampton was the only big hardware store in the city, that particular location's sales were the highest for Central in this region. I know because I used to work there.
The high sales volume at stores like these here in the city can be attributed to the large number of older homes here which need upkeep and remodeling, as well as all the rehabbing.
O'Reilly's choice to locate on South Kingshighway makes good sense to me. That stretch of road is so completely auto-oriented that O'Reilly will be a perfect fit.
Along Kingshighway between Arsenal and Chippewa, there are already multiple places to purchase a vehicle, plus places to lease a car, to repair your vehicle's engine, to do auto body work, to replace your car's muffler, to put new tires on your vehicle, to purchase car parts and accessories, to wash your vehicle.....not to mention all the fast-food places with drive-thru's.
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There is another O'Reilly auto parts store under construction in the Desco owned property between I-55 and Broadway, near Meramec. Right next to the shuttered Big Lots parking lot.
stlmark wrote:There is another O'Reilly auto parts store under construction in the Desco owned property between I-55 and Broadway, near Meramec. Right next to the shuttered Big Lots parking lot.
Joy. That may be the most absolutely useless strip of retailers I've ever seen. I live about four blocks from there and see no reason I would ever go to any of those stores.
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Shimmy wrote:For an autostore battle you should see Collinsville. On IL 159 there's an O'Reilly's directly across the street from an Autozone which is probably 200 feet down from an Advanced Auto Parts.
Has anyone else heard the story on this? I heard it was something about bad blood between the 2 companies (something about a divorce resulting in a top exec going to another company) and that's why they follow one another around. It's the same all over. You spot an AutoZone, keep driving a couple feet and you'll run into an O'Reilly's.
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They did it here on Kingshighway as well as in Florissant, where there is an Auto Zone, an O'Reilly's and a NAPA on basically the same block, just different sides of the street!