Long before recycling became fashionable, Van’s Auto Parts in Austin, Texas was already doing it.
“Austin is a very environmentally-conscious community,” says Karl Van Shellenbeck, one of the co-owners of this family-run business. “In the mid-1980s, we began recycling customers’ oil and filters at the store and did it purely as a service.
“We absorbed almost all of the cost, charging a little more for oil, and invested in recycling equipment…it all came down to the cost of doing business,” he adds. “We still provide the service at no additional cost to our customers today.”
It’s this type of forward thinking that has enabled this company to not only survive in a time when the market was becoming extremely volatile, but to succeed and grow while other small jobber operations across the country were closing their doors.
The business began when Glenn Van Shellenbeck, who is also one of the owners, had problems finding parts for his 1968 BMW 2002.
With the oil embargo nipping at the heels of the automotive industry, he realized that import vehicles were the future.
So with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas and previous in-store aftermarket experience, Glenn opened Van’s Imported Auto Parts in August 1974. The store began as a converted auto repair shop with no storefront.
“To open the store, you raised the garage doors to Austin’s only open air automotive parts store,” he remembers.
Initially a sole proprietorship, Glenn’s parents, Herbert and La Verne, and brothers, Karl and James, were instrumental in opening the store.
In 1983, Van’s expanded by building a second larger facility in far north Austin and adding a full line of domestic parts, dropping “Imported” from its title. During this time, Van’s Auto Parts welcomed two new family members — Glenn’s sister, Maria, and her husband, Fred Gibson.
“Primarily, the main reason we changed our designation and name was because many popular vehicles sold under domestic labels were actually import vehicles,” says Karl. “We also recognized that many of our devoted import customers also owned domestic cars and trucks.
“We really felt we were missing that part of the market, and although we were still an import specialist, we wanted them to know that we stocked full line domestic parts, as well,” he adds.
Shortly after, delivery service was added and is still a major part of the business today.
From 1989 to 1994, four more stores were opened, and by the spring of 1998, Van’s moved one of its stores to its new 30,000-sq.-foot superstore at the corner of Highway 183 and Ohlen Road.
Another feather in this company’s cap stems from a knowledgeable and experienced staff of 70 employees.
“About 90 percent of our sales staff work on their own cars and have done so for decades,” says Karl.
“Sometimes, do-it-yourselfers need a little bit of guidance when taking on a new repair job for the first time,” he explains. “Occasionally, we have to talk a customer out of a parts purchase and recommend that they go have the problem properly diagnosed…you’d love to sell it to them, but it’s not going to solve their problems.
“Those customers remember that we were honest with them, and they’ll come back to us because they know we’re serious about customer service,” he adds.
Because of the size of their operation, Karl says Van’s can’t spend the type of money national chains can devote to advertising.
“Our stores are competing with corporations that spend millions of dollars on advertising,” says Karl. “From a retail standpoint, most of our advertising has been through word-of-mouth about our customer service, our talented employees and our commitment to stocking and selling quality parts.
“That old saying, ‘you’re never disappointed when buying the best,’ is the message we want our customers to hear,” he adds. “When it comes to brakes or calipers, an inferior quality part can cause a dangerous situation.”
Karl says that, often times, they can sell a top-quality product to a customer for only slightly more than the cheap brand they purchased from the discounters.
With the exception of its first store, which closed in 1999, and the retirement of their parents, all of the family remains active in the day-to-day operations of their current five locations.
Karl says that when his kids are old enough, they’ll probably join the business since they both are interested in automobiles.
“We encourage our kids to be doctors, lawyers or anything else because this is a very competitive and low-margin business,” says Karl.
“However, when all of the Van Shellenbeck kids are old enough, I’m sure they will come here to work for some length of time,” he adds. “And in order to become an owner one day, they’ll have to do what all of the current owners had to do when they first started — sweep floors, pick up the trash and learn the parts business.”
And by the way, they’ll have to turn off the lights at the end of a day’s work.
The Vital StatsYears in business: 30 years
Growth plans: “Maybe if the right opportunity came along,” says Glenn Van Shellenbeck, one of Van's co-owners.
Annual revenue: Not provided
Number of employees: 70
Wholesale/retail ratio: 60/40
Snapshot of Van's Imported Auto Parts: Glenn Van Shellenbeck opened Van's Imported Auto Parts in August of 1974. Located in Austin, Texas, the store was a converted auto repair shop with no storefront. During the last 30 years, this family operation has continued to grow and today there are five locations in the Austin area.
Affiliation: APA
Competition: “To some extent almost all retailers are our competition,” says Glenn. “All the mass merchandisers now sell filters and wiper blades and many have added more extensive automotive inventories and even convenience stores sell oil and chemicals.” However, their most direct competitors are other auto parts chains such as CARQUEST, O'Reilly, Advance, Pep Boys and AutoZone. “Fortunately, many of these other chains are also good customers,” he adds.
Locations/Facility size: The smallest store is 3,300 sq. feet. Three of the stores are in the 4,500 to 5,500-sq.-foot range and the largest store is about 30,000 sq. feet, with a mezzanine of about 15,000 sq. feet.
