By: Kory Lanphear
It has happened to all of us: maybe it was that favorite pair of pants as a kid; maybe it was an expanding family’s first home; maybe as an aging adult, it was the favorite pants again, but we have all outgrown much-loved things. For Parts One NAPA in Rapid City, it was their old building on East Omaha Street. “We ran out of room,” said Zach Kreun, Director of Store Development. “We had roughly 20,000 square feet and we maxed out the space.”
It’s a good problem to have, though. The Parts One NAPA team found the solution in a vacant building previously occupied by a ShopKo store, just off Interstate 90 on Haines Avenue. The building is a major upgrade: the new footprint is about 47,000 square feet devoted to retail and parts storage, with another section functioning as warehouse space. The upper floor, roughly 25,000 square feet, houses overstock inventory and offices. The remaining third of the building will be leased to another business in the future.
The new location makes the business one of the largest automotive parts stores in the region. “Three of our old buildings could fit inside this new one,” said Zach, who started as a delivery driver, worked his way up, and has been with the business for 26 years, over half of its existence. In its 50-year history, Parts One NAPA has had only four owners. The current owner, Doug Leitzke, acquired it about three years ago with a grand vision to build a better customer experience. Plans to expand became reality in November of 2024. Construction to refit the new building to Parts One NAPA’s needs began in early 2025. The team started shifting product between stores in late June and completed the move around August 1, just in time for the 85th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The expansion, though, is about more than mere space, as Parts One NAPA is now able to offer services it didn’t have before. A new section of semi-truck parts and a larger hydraulic building area and paint department will help attract—and keep—new clientele. “We get the customers that are doing a car rebuild, and they come and buy parts. But a lot of times, when people come here, they’re not having a good day. Something broke, so they don’t necessarily want to be here,” says Zach. “We want to build an atmosphere that makes that experience fun and different, yet still small-town. Something people look forward to, not dread.”
That effort is reflected in the grand opening of the store. Held in late July, the celebration featured a food truck and giveaways from one of their supporters, Gearwrench, among numerous other specials. “It went great. We had a lot of people through the door. But it wasn’t about selling, it was more about people seeing what we’ve done with the place and how far it’s come,” said Zach.
The new facility also allows the team to roll out innovative features like a forthcoming warranty center for Milwaukee Tools and Gearwrench. The idea is that the customer can bring in a broken tool and the staff will help fulfill the warranty with a replacement, or repair the tool, as the case may allow. With a goal for the program to be up and running in early 2026, Parts One NAPA would be one of only a handful of such service centers in the entire country.
In its new home, the Parts One NAPA team hopes that they can be a one-stop destination for everyone from the customer seeking a single wiper blade to the professional mechanic sourcing parts for a large shop. “The whole point is to be able to offer the customer more tools,” General Manager Ron Hendricks said. “When you come in for a part, you leave with that part, rather than having to wait for the next day. Time is money for shops, and we want to help them be more successful.”
If time is indeed money, another 50 years for Parts One NAPA would certainly make for substantial profit and growth. With this expansion, they have the room for it.
This story was originally published in the October 2025 issue of Elevate Magazine.
