One thing you'll notice about most of the used auto parts dealers of the Piedmont Triad is that most of them were here before most of the people who live here were born. Most junkyards were located out in the country when they were built only to be swallowed up by our ever sprawling cities. And while a lot of people don't realize the fact, these junkyards are like gas stations in that most drivers couldn't drive if used parts dealers didn't exist.
I'm old enough and lucky enough to have known the founders of many of Greensboro's junkyards and can tell you these were the types of businessmen and women who would never think of asking city and county governments of approving Federal Stimulus monies to fund their privately owned businesses. They made their fortunes by providing quality used auto parts to garages, body shops, automobile dealerships and individuals in a timely manner and at a fair price.
These were men who weren't afraid to get dirty and greasy. They sweated not because the air conditioner was broken at the health club but because they were working. And while some did get involved in politics, it wasn't because they sought corporate welfare but because our local developer controlled local governments have been scheming to take their lands and businesses away from them for as long as many of them have been in business.
The pressure is always there for junkyard owners to sell out and move farther away. And if left to the devices of area politicians, our local junkyards and used auto parts dealers would be relocated somewhere other than the Piedmont Triad Region altogether, perhaps across the state line or outsourced to some 3rd world country.
So think about that next time you hear someone describe a junkyard as an eyesore. Remember their businesses are built upon reuse and recycling. And remember: without junkyards you'd not be able to afford to drive.
