17-05-2025
Popular auto shops are closing across SLO County. Here's why
Auto parts stores are closing across much of California, including the Central Coast.
After shutting down Carquest locations in Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria earlier in January, the two remaining stores in SLO County are set to close in the coming weeks.
According to Atascadero Carquest Auto Parts manager Dwayne Semans, the chain's supplier, Advance Auto Parts, recently pulled out of the western United States, after suffering significant losses last year.
The supplier's operating loss in the final part of 2024 was $820 million, equal to roughly 41.1% of its net sales , according to its fourth quarter report.
As a result, Advance Auto Parts plans to close 820 stores, Semans said. The supplier will close a total of 523 corporate stores, 204 independent locations and four distribution centers, according to its third quarter report.
That includes Carquest Auto Parts at 7475 El Camino Real in Atascadero and the Carquest at 207 S. Main St. in Templeton.
Semans said the closures caught workers off guard when Advance Auto Parts sent a letter to employees in December.
'I see boom, boom, boom,' Semans said. 'I see a domino effect of what they're doing. They let go of all their support network, everything, all in the same letter.'
Semans said the stores are now selling everything at cost, and once everything is sold the stores will close permanently.
Founded as Advance Stores in 1929, Advance Auto Parts, Inc. bills itself as 'your source for quality auto parts, advice and accessories.'
As of Dec. 28, the company operated 4,788 stores primarily in the United States, and served 934 independently owned Carquest stores, according to its website.
Despite its California struggles, the company is expanding in other parts of the country.
Since January, Advance Auto Parts opened six new stores on the East Coast, and expects to open 30 new locations in 2025, and over 100 locations by 2027, according to a press release.
