Bigger store benefits Motion Auto Supply
Motion Auto Supply moved farther into Spokane Valley to be in a better location and have more space. Customers responded by driving February sales to near record highs.
“It was just a good spot,” said company president Tim Trudnowski about the new location at Sprague Avenue and McDonald Road. “We knew we needed to be farther out in the Valley.”
The previous Valley store was at 9500 E. First Ave. and can best be described as cramped. “We doubled the size. We have more elbow room.”
Motion Auto sells auto parts and accessories both wholesale and retail. “We branched out into more of the retail,” Trudnowski said. “We’re what’s known as a full-line automotive warehouse. Except for body parts, like fenders, we carry pretty much everything.”
Motion Auto is leasing 7,600 square feet in the former Dollar Store next to Value Village. The other half of the space is still vacant. Trudnowski said the company looked at several locations before settling on the Sprague and McDonald one. It had good visibility on a busy street with plenty of parking.
It seems to be a good fit. Normally January and February are slow months in the auto parts business. Motion Auto moved in mid-February and immediately noticed an increase in sales, Trudnowski said. “We have a lot more exposure and better signage.”
The company can trace its roots back to a business founded in 1909. It has been employee owned since 1993. Two employees were hired to staff the new location for a total of 12.
Box Top bucks
The Tidyman’s store at Sprague and McDonald recently won an award for having an “imaginative and appealing” Box Tops for Education store display.
The Box Top program allows students to collect specially marked box tops on General Mills products and redeem them for cash for their school.
The local Tidyman’s won 5,000 Box Top points for its display, which translates to $500. Store manager Dave Frischknecht decided to donate the money to McDonald Elementary, which is just down the road from his store. He handed over the money during a ceremony at the school Friday.
McDonald Elementary principal Kelly Shea said the school plans to use the donation to buy books for its library.
“We’re very appreciative of the contribution,” Shea said. “We have this big, beautiful library with some open book space, and we’re just going to keep filling it.”
To continue the celebration, several General Mills characters will be at the Tidyman’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The guest list includes Trix the Rabbit and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. They will hand out samples and prizes, and children can have their pictures taken with the characters.