IMPORT PARTS store, ie VW BUG store
YOU COULD NOT BUY ANY IMPORT PART AT ANY NORMAL PARTS STORE, GAS STATION, OR DEALER
THEY WERE ALL COMPLETELY IN SEPARATE STORES. AND USUSALY AMERICAN PARTS DIDN'T FIT ON IMPORTS (rather, imports had no standards at all and abused standards)
(so, in cal, you had some burdgeoning "taiwan asia wholesale parts stores" early on
first, if you wanted IMPORT PARTS, you had to go to a store that sold import parts and it costs roughly 2x as much, including for Volkswagen parts (you saved on less parts and fuel not parts price - and perhaps didn't save in the end all)
there were parts stores BUT NOT MANY ...
Ford Dealer (parts rooms were much bigger though)
Gas Stations had bigger parts rooms including Tires hoses more
WHY: because american cars could be fixed with allot less parts it made sense to have them accessible to non-dealer repair shops (some gas stations)
but IN THE REST OF THE USA - you had mom & pop stores for non-parts concerns (ie pep boys and also gas stations with garages used to cary parts) maybe, and MOSTLY THE DEALER for parts)
WHY:
1) the dealer had most of the parts AT A GOOD PRICE better price than parts stores
2) you could get a GM part from a dealer put it on a Ford (ie, belt, hose, plugs, wires)
you can't anymore
3) auto parts stores specialized in everything BUT parts: tire irons, oil, tools and a few essentials (generic hose, cheap tires, made in usa spark plugs)
POOR EXAMPLE: SPARK PLUGS
* you matched temperature and depth but everyone had a few models and you just picked what they had on hand it was not critical. there wasn't "a plug specially designed for your car" per say
GOOD EXAMPLE: heater hose
it was Made in USA. the dealer didn't necessarily HAVE a upper lower/return (beefy one) that fit your car. They had a depot with hoses with twists that were for all cars ever made - and it worked.
TODAY EVERYTHING IS SO TIGHT AND TIGHT WAD, they kinda build shit so you can't use generic anything (you need a chinese part that matches, BUT THE FUCKING CHINESE insure it's like water torture - your part is canceled and the replacement doesn't fit or work right in an american car)
by the 1990's stores were going big box, Ford and GM dealers were also - and needed significantly more space DUE TO CLINTON CHINESE BASTARD CEOS using "special parts" - their parts shelves became larger. still at the time auto parts weren't ordered by sears catelog (started as a home imports catelog), no internet parts to speak of, some mail order magazine but mostly: 1980's early 1990's: you went to the dealer and UNTIL BILL CLINTON THEY HAD THE BEST PRICE PERIOD, usually