A lot has change on North Atherton Street over the past 50 years, but one of the few constants has been Greg Stoicheff.
Stoicheff’s Auto Parts opened its doors at 2131 N. Atherton St. in March 1972, when it didn’t have many neighbors. Today, the 72-year-old Stoicheff estimates only two or three buildings that were around at the time remain today as the street has become a bustling commercial corridor.
“Tire Town (which is still open) was my closest neighbor. Everything from there on down has changed,” Stoicheff said. “It’s just incredible. Most areas you don’t see that; things never change. We’re talking almost everything is gone.”
Over the years, Stoicheff built a loyal customer base, adapted his business and added new components to thrive while many independent auto parts shops have gone by the wayside.
“Family support, friend support, good customers — it’s been a combination of all that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of help all through the 50 years.”
Stoicheff grew up in Lewistown, where his family has an auto parts store he worked in as a youth. After high school, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam as a combat medic.
Shortly after returning from 21 months in the service, his father talked to him about opening another store.
“I knew I was headed into the parts business and my dad had been talking to me about ‘why don’t we open a store somewhere?’ He gave me a couple areas to go check out and I liked State College, so I came here,” Stoicheff said. “He helped me get started. I actually thought I was just working for him opening a branch and he said ‘Oh by the way this is yours,’ so that’s how it all started.”
Since then, the business landscape has certainly changed. Gone are the independent service stations that were once found around State College, as are many of the small garages, replaced by national repair shops that have parts contracts with national auto parts stores, Stoicheff said.
“They’ll give you a little business but you don’t get enough to sustain yourself,” he said. “So my business is local farmers and individuals and stuff like that.”
Auto parts have become just one portion of his business, though. About 28 years ago, Stoicheff’s became an independent U-Haul dealer and frequently ranks among the company’s top 10 independent stores, he said.
A big part of that is hustle. Stoicheff said he doesn’t hesitate to go well outside the area to pick up trucks and hasn’t been unable to fulfill a reservation in 10 to 15 years.
“We have a lot of business in U-Haul, and we sell boxes and hitches and all that stuff,” he said. “It’s a nice business on its own. We could probably do just U-Haul if we wanted to.”
He’s also added a service and repair garage, small engine service and lawn and garden, serving as a local dealer and servicer for Husqvarna outdoor power equipment and Gravely mowers.
“If I were still just auto parts I probably wouldn’t be here,” Stoicheff said. “The big chains have moved in and they just draw people naturally. We still compete with them but I don’t try to on a day-to-day basis. Price-wise, we’re all pretty much the same but people naturally go there. Who knows why?”
He credits his sons, Tim, who passed away from lymphoma in 2020, and Nick, who helps run the store today, with bringing new ideas that have been integral to the shop.
“[Tim] was very important to the business. He helped us get into small engine and lawn and garden, which is a big part of our business today,” Stoicheff said. “He was very mechanically inclined and helped us get into a lot of things we hadn’t been in.”
The shop has four employees but Greg and Nick can be found there most days, and the elder Stoicheff says his son has been critical to keeping the business going.
“I probably wouldn’t even be here now if it wasn’t for Nick,” Stoicheff said, adding that his grandkids are now starting to help out, too. “Nick’s phenomenal. He’s been doing it since he left high school. He’s really good.”
Even with the additions, loyal customers still rely on Stoicheff for parts. Knowledge of what they need, selection and fair pricing have been key to building that customer base, he said.
“We get calls for a lot of old stuff. Probably six months ago a guy called me for an ignition switch for a 1928 Chevy,” he said. “I didn’t have a book to look it up but I told him ‘Bring it in, I think I know what you need.’ …I have a lot of ’40s stuff, ’50s stuff. It’s almost to the point people expect it … But that’s how I built the business at the beginning. When you’re new to an area they already have their places they’re buying and they’ll only try you if they can’t get it where they normally get it. Then eventually you build them up and do that and that’s the way it worked.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say you’re like the O.W. Houts (the former State College general store) of auto parts. That’s a great compliment to be told you’re the O.W. Houts of something. That’s always nice to hear. Or people will say ‘I’ve been everywhere and you’re the only guy that had it.’”
Those customers can expect to find Stoicheff at the shop for some time to come. He wants to continue running the store for another 13 years or so, until he’s 85, at which point he plans for Nick to take over.
“That’s the plan. If he doesn’t, then we would close,” he said. “He likes it. Unfortunately he’s like me. My goal is just to walk away, give it to him and go. I don’t need anything. I’m happy and that’s all I care about.”
Nick pointed out to him, however, he’ll have to wait until a few months after he turns 85 to retire. His birthday is in July, during the height of U-Haul business.
“You can’t leave in the middle of U-Haul season,’” Stoicheff said with a laugh.
