‘Napa Dave’ celebrates retirement after four decades in the business

COLFAX – About five years ago, Jason Coulson walked into the Napa Auto Parts in downtown Colfax to purchase a few items for his restoration repair business.

From off-parts for cranes to batteries for tractors, the Ira native found himself stopping by regularly whenever he needed a new part. He said a large reason behind that was the vast auto parts knowledge of owner, Dave Burdess – known around town as “Napa Dave.”

Little did he know, he, his wife, Leslie and three children would be the ones behind the counter in 2018, and filling the shoes of the local auto parts expert.

“It’s (my daughter) Taylor and Dave’s fault (we got roped into this),” Jason said with a laugh. “I came here because Dave would not only understand what I would be looking for, but would work through with me to try and find what I need. There are not a lot of places that do that these days. In a sense, that is what I want to be.”

Last summer, Burdess began contemplating his retirement after running the auto parts shop for 44 years. As a volunteer at the Colfax Fire Department and an active community member, the Colfax resident said he wanted to make sure he left the town staple in good hands.

As soon as conversations began with Leslie and Jason, the 63-year-old said he knew they would be the perfect fit. And March 1, the couple officially took over the day-to-day operations.

“To get a customer that has the background that these folks have is really awesome,” Burdess said. “I like the fact that they are coming in as a family.”

On Feb. 28, the Ira couple announced on Facebook they will be taking over Napa Colfax and will change the name of the shop to Auto Parts of Colfax, Inc. They said despite the name change, the store will still be a Napa affiliate and will continue to operate similarly to the way it has the last four decades.

“The customers have been very patient and understanding. We might not have all the knowledge that Dave has, but we are learning,” Leslie said. “The accounts are staying the same. Everything is staying the same unless they change something ... it is hard to fix something if it is not broke.”

Burdess began his career at with Napa working at a shop in Nevada, Ia., as a senior in high school. The Iowa native worked up the ranks, learned the tools of the trade and found himself managing Colfax’s auto parts store in 1973. He soon purchased the store, found his place in the community and got the nickname “Napa Dave.”

“It has been really good. We raised our family through this store. Both of our sons worked here and stuff. It was a family business until they pursued their own careers,” Burdess said. “They grew up at this store ... my eldest son sold his first part when he was 6 years old. Both of them were good employees and bought into it.”

Although Burdess said he is looking forward to spending his retirement traveling to Alaska with his wife and working on various projects on his acreage, he said the thing he will miss most is his customers.

“I worked with a lot of three generation, and even some four-generation families,” the Colfax resident said. “I’ll still come to town for (community) meetings. We’ll still come to town for lunch and we will still do business in town. People will see me. They can’t get rid of me.”

To help them get used to the workload required to run the local auto parts shop, the Coulsons temporarily closed their other business in town, Coulson’s Restoration and Repair Service, LLC from Feb. 23 to March 12. When they reopened March 13, they then adjusted their hours of operations to be by appointment only.

“I had a guy that was helping me out with our automotive repair side and he is actually starting his own business in the same place (316 N. Walnut St.). It was going to get to be too much for me to manage it all,” Jason said. “We are still going to keep it open. I am still going to do more heavy equipment repair and even some small engine stuff, I am just not going to do as much automotive personally.”

Burdess will still spend time at the shop to help create a seamless transition to the new owners. And the Coulsons said they hope to learn from Burdess, carry on his legacy and keep the auto parts store in the town of about 2,000 for another four decades.

“Do you hope to run this shop one day?” Jason asked his son, Kollen, while he sat on the counter at the shop at 12 W. Howard St. Dressed in a blue Napa long-sleeve shirt, the 6-year-old smiled and gave his dad a nod. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to learn how.”

For more information about the transition, call 515-674-4464 or find Coulson's Restoration and Repair Services LLC on Facebook. Residents are also encouraged to stop by the shop between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays, or from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Contact Anthony Victor Reyes at areyes@jasperocountytribune.com