NORTH CARROLLTON-T & T Auto Parts is here to stay, Thomas Lishman Sr. hopes.
The new parts store took up residence Sept. 15 in the venerable brick building at 400 George St. occupied for decades by Amie Stepp's lumber and supply company.
"I'd heard quite a few people saying they needed a parts house in Carrollton," Lishman said, explaining his new enterprise. He and one of his sons, Thomas Lishman Jr., own a similarly named business in Kilmichael. The elder Lishman runs the expansion store, while his son is in charge in Montgomery County.
T & T's main product line is CarQuest. The store carries auto parts, truck parts, hardware and plumbing supplies and hydraulic hoses. In back, Lishman repairs small engines. His store carries items needed by consumers from loggers to truck drivers as well as ordinary motorists, for example.
Store hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon.
The move into Carroll County means Lishman is even nearer his native city of Greenwood. In the 1970s, he lived in Coila. "There are good people here," Lishman said. Returning to the area evokes a bit of nostalgia, which he mentions as he mans the cash register.
Growing up in Greenwood, where he was born in 1944 to Mr. and Mrs. John Frank Lishman, he was a bit star-struck. He treasures an autographed photo he got when one of his favorite western heroes, Lash LaRue, appeared onstage at Davis School, where he also saw a young Elvis Presley.
Years ago, he was a stock car racer, and he raced at the old Valley Hill track. In the 1960s, he recalled, "that's where I met another movie star - Steve McQueen." McQueen was in this area in 1968 when he filmed "The Reivers." More recently, during his 13-year sojourn in Aliceville, Ala., Lishman rubbed shoulders briefly with "a friend of a friend - Hank Williams Jr."
His interest in mechanics and things automotive came naturally. His father was a dozer operator for J. J. Ferguson for 46 years, and as he grew up, Lishman also worked for Ferguson.
In Aliceville, Lishman worked as a sawmill mechanic. Returning to Mississippi a decade ago, he noticed a fading parts house in downtown Kilmichael. He tells the story of stopping, entering the store, and asking the owner about buying it. "He said he'd take $40,000 for it. I walked across the street to the bank and explained my situation to the banker. I said I didn't have a penny in my pockets, but I said that in three months I'd hand you $10,000. I got the loan and set up shop in the rundown building, which had $29,000 worth of stock. I made my payment to the banker and have made many more.
"Now, I've got $120,000 worth of stock in a new building I built on the highway, and I borrow some of it every once in a while to come here," Lishman said.
If the business continues to pick up here, Lishman says, he'll carry out appropriate building plans, most likely.
