James William Powell was Willie, the new and used auto parts man. Click to enlarge.
A recent trip down Rossville Boulevard brought back memories of former businesses along the route.
Shortly after exiting I-24 onto Rossville, I saw what was Wuv’s Hamburgers for a few years in the 1970’s. I spied first and second generation KFC’s; both empty now. The structures that once housed Devoe Paint, Goodlett’s Supermarket, Longhorn, and Maner Music are still there, but not the enterprises. The Krystal still operates on the same corner, though no longer selling fried chicken nor listing all cities of operation on their burger boxes.
Near the old Wuv’s was a familiar sight – the old location of Willie’s Auto Parts. “Who was Willie?” I wondered. The Public Library, as usual, helped me with my sleuthing.
James William Powell was Willie. He was born in 1912 in Georgia, grew up in Etowah, TN, and then moved to Chattanooga in 1936.
Mr. Powell soon established the first new and used automobile parts dealership in the area. His business was started at what was probably a good time to be in the used parts business. The years during World War II led to rationing of metal and new parts. So, keeping the old jalopy going with a used part was the way to go.
Willie’s Auto Parts advertised in the Chattanooga city directories. Their slogan was “Willie Will Treat You Right.”
Today, an Internet search can locate parts around the world. Willie’s used the technology of its era, and became the first in Chattanooga to have a teletype-based system from AT&T.
James “Willie” Powell served as president of the Chattanooga Area Automobile Association, and was an auxiliary police officer. He passed away in 1990.
Willie’s once sold used automobile items that are no longer a “part” of most modern cars:
* Chrome bumpers
* Extensive chrome trim
* Carburetors
* Metal air intake housing
* Metal instrument clusters and other metal parts replaced now by plastic
* Mechanical fans, cruise control, water pump, power steering, odometers, speedometers (electronics now used extensively)
* Hub caps (most cars have full wheel covers now)
* AM-only radios with dial tuners
* Cassette and 8-track players
* Sealed-beam headlamps
* Hood ornaments
Many of the automobile brands of Willie’s time – Mercury, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, Studebaker et al. – have also vanished.
What can you add to the list? If you can think of other parts that were in Willie’s inventory but not around today, or have memories of Willie’s Auto Parts, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.