GAS — Word travels quickly among auto parts hunters.
Terry McDonald officially expanded his towing and used car business just Thursday afternoon to include a salvage lot.
In the few short days afterward, T.J.’s Towing, Pre-Owned Auto and Salvage Lot has seen a plethora of people in need of specific auto parts.
“The salvage lot is kicking off very well,” McDonald said Monday. “It’s already been pretty busy, and word is just now getting out that we’re open.”
Thursday’s opening caps a months-long process of getting the 15-plus acres of land rezoned as industrial in order to open the salvage lot; erecting more than 900 feet of fencing to meet the county’s requirements and shield the lot from the view of passersby; building a new, 1,500-square-foot office building to accommodate his expanded business; and finally, buying scores of all makes and models of cars.
“We’ve purchased probably 13 cars in the last three months to the point we have more than 300 cars on hand now,” McDonald said.
His lot at the east edge of Gas, 1311 Campbell St., is large enough to accommodate as many as 1,400 vehicles.
“It’s going to take a few years to fill it,” he predicted.
McDonald draws from a large swath across southeast Kansas, from Burlington and Westphalia, to Fort Scott, Chanute, Erie and parts in between.
“That’s one of our benefits,” McDonald said. “Not only do we pay top dollar, we will go quite a ways to pick up the vehicles at no charge.”
McDonald’s daughter, Jo Yarnell, has been hired on to run the salvage lot, while McDonald continues to focus primarily on the towing and used car sales.
“When I started this, we wanted to make sure we had an office at the same property with the salvage cars,” McDonald said. (The lot is about a block east of his old headquarters at Belton Street.)
The salvage lot is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 to 3 on Saturday.
“Of course, our towing and car pickup of cars for salvage is done seven days a week,” he added.
THE SALVAGE lot is a natural progression for McDonald, who previously worked at a lot in Emporia for about seven years.
“It’s something I always wanted to do, to own my lot,” he said. “The time came that we owned enough cars that we decided to go through with it. The county commissioners and zoning board have all been good people to work with.”
The lot also is a part of a national parts finder hotline, so if a person is in search of a specific item, it can be ordered if McDonald doesn’t have one on site.
McDonald can be reached at 365-8666.
