Beck's Auto celebrates 50 years and counting

Becks Auto Supply, a staple in Ash Grove, celebrated their 50th anniversary on March 1, building on a legacy of service and commitment to their community.
  
Jimmy Buckley and Cheryl Buckley, married co-owners of the parts store for more than half a century, plan to celebrate the occasion in the near future.
  
Jimmy and Cheryl did not expect to own a parts store at all. Jimmy worked at Wilkerson Motors, a now-closed Ford dealership in Ash Grove. He also worked with Elliott Beck to some extent in his early years, selling parts out of Beck’s store on Main Street. With Jimmy only 24 years old and Cheryl aged 19, the two were in no financial position to buy a business, let alone run one. But when Elliott Beck offered to sell it to Jimmy in 1976, he conferred with his father and then agreed to the deal.
  
“Money was a lot different back 50 years ago,” Jimmy said. “We were so young, I don’t guess we thought about the financial part of it much; we just paid it.
 
 
The couple bought the business, selling parts out of the location on Main Street for 10 years. The store was no larger than their back office is now, at 204 N. Maple Lane. They loved what they did but still faced challenges in the early years of business ownership. Cheryl said that they were not prepared for the work that came with business ownership. But Jimmy had worked in the parts department at Wilkerson Motors, so he felt qualified for that side of things.
  
“I’ve been in the car business since I was this tall," gestured Jimmy. “So I knew about it. I’d run the parts department for my folks, so selling parts was what I did; it wasn’t a big thing.”
  
They needed an upgrade if they wanted to stay fully stocked, so the Buckleys erected a new building, one they still use today and one that features much more space. Plus, the new location would include three garages, allowing them to perform vehicle repair on top of their part-selling services.
  
Eventually they would discontinue their repair services. According to Jimmy, at the point of closing the garages, he was the only mechanic, also working the front of the store selling parts. He couldn’t do both at once.
  
The garages now hold the cars that he passed down to members of his family: a 50's Ford pickup, a Ford Model A, and a classic Mustang. The Buckley family has been around the shop their whole lives; now it houses their cars.
  
Business has been good, but it has become more challenging over the years. Cars were simpler when the Buckleys first bought the shop. Over time, cars have become more complex, making both repair and maintaining knowledge of the inner workings more difficult.
  
“Cars are a lot more complex than they were,” said Cheryl. “I mean, a vehicle may have 8 or 10 computer units on it, plus all the sensors and stuff … They were pretty simple back when we started.”
  
This difficulty has not deterred them from their mission of service to the community. That the Buckleys have served Ash Grove for over 50 years at this point is no accident, at least according to Cheryl. She said that their relationship with the city is symbiotic and that they lean on their community through difficult times, including the loss of their son James Buckley last year.
  
“You know, they’d come in and tell us something, praying for us, and it just makes all the difference, you know,” said Cheryl.
  
Future in store
Though their 50th anniversary was on March 1, they plan to hold a celebration to give back to all of their loyal customers and the city they have been serving for decades.  
 
According to Cheryl, Jimmy has no plans to stop coming into work or retire, so customers will hopefully be able to enjoy the long-standing parts store for years to come.