The new location of New Canaan Auto Parts, at 26 Cross St. (Michael Catarevas photo)
Like father, like son.
The career paths have been strikingly similar for Rich Marra Sr. and son, R.J., who own and operate what is formally New Canaan Auto Parts, but has been known for over three decades as the NAPA (National Automotive Parts Assn.) store in town.
The Marras are exhaling for the first time in several weeks, having recently executed a complicated, tiring store location move from 23 Vitti St. to 26 Cross St. The Vitti locale was larger but had drawbacks. Including a very old building that was hard to heat in winter. The lease was expiring as well.
“R.J. happened to know the landlord here at Cross Street, and he asked my son if we knew anyone who might be interested in renting this space,” said his dad. “R.J. said, ‘Yeah, us.’ “ A five-year lease was quickly agreed upon.
The Marras then had to properly prepare 26 Cross St., which meant measuring every inch of the smaller space, putting up shelves and deciding precisely how to stock everything in back. NAPA stores must have thousands of items on hand, available on a moment’s notice.
The old location of New Canaan Auto Parts, at 23 Vitti St. (Michael Catarevas photo)
“We service most of the police cars and other town vehicles in New Canaan,” said R.J. “When they need a part, they get it fast. An ambulance, for instance, can’t be down for more than half an hour.”
Neither Marra had any idea they would end up running a business. Rich, 57, worked at the Ridgefield NAPA starting in 1976. The Marra family family still lives there.
“I was hired to be a delivery driver my freshman year in college,” he recalled. “Then I started working as a counterman, and managing a store. Once I started moving up, I thought that might be the end of college for me, and it was.”
Rich explained that he wasn’t much into cars at the time, but was fascinated by the business aspect of a store. Of course he knew he had to learn about the myriad products sold at NAPA.
“When I was a driver in Ridgefield, I would work the counter if I wasn’t busy,” he said. “Someone came in one day and said they needed a ‘pushrod.’ I said, ‘we might have it … what is it?’ Back then there were no computers. You had to find it in the right catalogue.”
A pushrod is an internal engine part.
Inventory in a tight aisle at the new Napa in New Canaan. (Michael Catarevas photo)
How Rich came to own the store was also rather whimsical.
“The previous owner here had four branches,” said Rich. “He got into financial trouble and sold two of them back to NAPA. At that time (1982) NAPA didn’t particularly want to run stores.”
Unaware the owner had sold the New Canaan location where he was working, Rich suddenly found that the corporation was his new boss. Within a short time NAPA offered to sell it to Marra, who was happy to accept. He and a partner at the time took over the New Canaan and Norwalk stores, then split, with each taking sole ownership of one branch.
“It’s different now with NAPA,” said Rich. “These days they have a whole lot of stores. They realized that by doing that they could dip from both ends.”
R.J., 22, first started working at the shop for an official high school internship. He loved and learned the business quickly, but that wasn’t the case at the beginning.
“I didn’t even know what an oil filter was before I started here,” he admitted. “Now I can tell you how they work, as well as everything else about cars.”
The Marras explained that NAPA is a complete automotive repair parts store.
“Everything but tires and glass,” said R.J. “If you bring your car to a gas station to get serviced, whatever you need, they call us. Anything that can go in a car is back there,” he said, pointing behind him.
‘Back there’ is the storage area behind the brightly lit front room where customers enter and approach the counter. It is where yeoman hours were spent moving and shelving stock from the old store to the new.
R.J. Marra, left, with dad, Rich, of New Canaan Auto Parts. (Michael Catarevas photo)
“This past Sunday was the first day I wasn’t in New Canaan working since we started moving five weeks ago,” said Rich, who pointed out that NAPA provided great help.
“The Monday before the move five NAPA employees came from Middletown at 7:45 a.m. and helped us all day, then the next day too,” he said. “NAPA wants to see us succeed.”
The store is not a franchise per se. “But they provide lots of services for which we get billed,” said Rich. “They have contracts for everything we sell, then there’s computer software and advertising.”
Every item sold at New Canaan Auto Parts is an official NAPA product — except one.
“ ‘Windshield wonder’ isn’t theirs,” said R.J. “It’s used to clean the inside of your windshield. NAPA doesn’t carry it.”
Both Rich and R.J. are friendly, laid back and personable. “But we can get on each other’s nerves once in a while,” said R.J.
“Not really,” countered his dad. “I just get tired sometimes.”
So what’s the biggest seller at New Canaan Auto Parts?
“Car brakes, no question,” said Rich.
“Everybody’s gotta stop!” chirped R.J.