Polson NAPA opens second store north of Pablo
BERL TISKUS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 weeks AGO
Randy Johnson answers the phone at Mission Valley Auto Parts, the new NAPA store south of Polson. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
Reporter Berl Tiskus joined the Lake County Leader team in early March, and covers Ronan City Council, schools, ag and business. Berl grew up on a ranch in Wyoming and earned a degree in English education from MSU-Billings and a degree in elementary education from the University of Montana. Since moving to Polson three decades ago, she’s worked as a substitute teacher, a reporter for the Valley Journal and a secretary for Lake County Extension. Contact her at btiskus@leaderadvertiser.com or 406-883-4343. | October 16, 2024 11:00 PM
The new Mission Valley Auto Parts–NAPA north of Pablo is huge, and it needs to be big to hold the variety and number of parts they sell. The store celebrated its second location with a grand opening bash Saturday, Oct. 5.
“We had a big crowd,” said owner Manny Leon, adding that Milwaukee Tools sales representatives were at the party as well, offering special tool deals.
Hamburgers and hot dogs for attendees and good wishes for Leon and his family and staff ramped up the fun factor.
Leon, who also owns the NAPA store on Hwy. 93 in Polson, says the new location will handle more wholesale orders and cater to more ag customers, with about 20 percent retail customers.
For their ag customers, they provide parts for balers and other farm equipment, Manny said, “belts and bearings, all those things.”
Summer is a busy season for both NAPA businesses with tourists visiting the area. And it’s not necessarily all automotive and pick-up parts, since the two auto supply outlets also offer marine supplies to help keep boats cruising on Flathead Lake. They also stock heavy-duty truck and RV parts as well as tools and equipment. The more items they have in stock, the quicker they can take care of their customers.
The biggest sellers for NAPA are maintenance supplies, such as brakes, filters and oil – “all that stuff you need to get changed” – as opposed to those “fun LED lights.”
“We’re here to support the community, and the community supports us,” Leon explained.
Leon and his family moved to the Mission Valley in 2007. The couple has five children, who attend Polson and Valley View schools.
He purchased the NAPA business in Polson a month before COVID hit Montana. Luckily auto parts stores were considered an essential business, which enabled him to keep his doors open during the early days of the pandemic.
It helped that a lot of NAPA’s business is deliveries to local automotive shops. In addition, staff members also took orders over the phone and then met the customers with his or her parts at the curb.
“It was a struggle,” he remembers.
In addition to his auto parts businesses, Leon and his family also run the popular pop-up Mexican food restaurant, Manny’s Mom’s Tacos, which frequently appears in front of the Polson NAPA store and at events in Lake and Sanders counties.
The new store is located at 40370 Enterprise Dr., and the phone number is 406-675-0044.