O’Reilly Auto Parts’s store manager in Blue Earth, Bill Hanson, stands outside the store on Nicollet Street. Parts City Auto Parts was purchased by O’Reilly back in early June.

No matter what time of year you might need some automotive parts, there is a good chance you will find them at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Blue Earth.

And, there will be an even better chance in the future, since the business has plans to expand their space and have a much larger inventory.

Store manager Bill Hanson says they have been very busy ever since O’Reilly Automotive purchased the former Parts City Auto Parts back on June 5 of this year.

“We have a really decent wholesale market,” Hanson says. “And our retail sales are getting sizably larger.”

O’Reilly Auto Parts in Blue Earth has three delivery vehicles and they deliver parts around the area to auto repair businesses three times a day.

“We go to car repair businesses in Winnebago, Amboy, Mapleton, Wells, Kiester, Elmore and more,” Hanson says. That is their wholesale business. “We deliver whatever parts they need to them right away.”

The retail business, Hanson says, depends on the day.

“Some days are not real busy and some days are really busy here,” Hanson explains. “It kind of depends on the weather, too.”

Right now they are busy because it is fall and winter is coming.

“This is the time of year everyone should be checking their wiper blades and see if they should be replaced,” Hanson says. “We can check them for you, if you stop in, to see if they need to be replaced.”

Windshield washer fluid, as well as all other fluids should be checked now, he added. Other items that are really selling are brake pads, brake rotors and ignition items.

“You should check the tread on your tires, and your battery charge,” Hanson added. And, yes, O’Reilly’s will check the battery for you.

Hanson adds that yes, many vehicles have now gotten a lot more complicated, with computer systems. But, he says that if your check engine light comes on, you need to get it checked out right away.

And, that is another thing they can do at O’Reilly’s. They can read the computer codes on your vehicle and tell you why your check engine light came on.

Now, they don’t fix your car for you, but they can let you know why the check engine light is on. And then you can take it to a mechanic.

“We are fortunate here that there are a lot of qualified mechanics in our area,” Hanson says. “You should be able to find a good shop to take your vehicle to.”

The O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Blue Earth currently has two full time and five part time employees. They plan to hire another person or two when they expand.

The overall plan is to have a much larger space for the store by this next spring, O’Reilly officials say. They will greatly increase their inventory in the Blue Earth store at that time, as well.

Hanson has been at the store for many years and has seen quite a few changes.

“I remember when it was Bumper to Bumper before it was Parts City,” Hanson says. “And it was Motor Parts before that.”

He remembers when it was at Seventh and Main and then in the old Smith building. It moved to its present location around 1989.

There also were branch stores in Winnebago and Wells for a while.

Scott and Kay Nemanic owned the auto parts store in Blue Earth for 23 years.

With O’Reilly Automotive purchasing the business back in June, some things stayed the same, as O’Reilly’s was the wholesale parts distributor to Parts City.

O’Reilly Automotive started in 1957 as a family-owned company. It is now a leading auto parts company, supplying automotive parts, tools and accessories to customers across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. They have 6,000 store locations.