Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/32434
Our 19th Year • Issue No. 21 • May 26, 2011 1 MI. EAST OF DOWNTOWN FOREST CITY ON BUS. HWY. 74 CLAIMS ACCEPTED CLAIMS ACCEPTED INSURANCEINSURANCE “SMALL TOWN FRIENDLY”® All American Auto Body, Inc. Paintless Auto Hail Repair •KEEPS PAINT ORIGINAL •PRESERVES THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR •NO SANDING OR FILLERS USED •NORMALLY ONE DAY REPAIR FREE ESTIMATES FREE ESTIMATES IN MINUTES IN MINUTES SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! ASK ABOUT OUR SATISFIED CUSTOMERS DENT WORK 369 Butler Road, Forest City, North Carolina 28043 • Phone: 828-248-1408 • Email: advertising@rutherfordweekly.com “Mr. Motorcycle” Most Modern Equipment WE REPAIR HAIL DAMAGE Offering Paintless Dent Removal Tired of waiting for your car to be repaired? Quick Turnaround With Us! We Use All Factory Paints REMEMBER WE WORK FOR YOU, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANY. 566 E. Mills St., Columbus 828-894-6053 Mon.-Thur. 7am-6pm Fri. 7am-12pm Celebrates Several Birthdays 48 Years In The Business... 30 Years At Same Location... And, Personally, His 79th ! By: M.A. Andrews • maandrews@rutherfordweekly.com His name is Billy Howard Epley and he has an infectious smile. Every- one calls him Bill. He is the founder and owner of E & H Motorcycle Sales & Service, Incorporated. This past weekend he celebrated 30 years at the same location - 122 M. D. Blanton Circle in Forest City. It’s a loca- tion tucked away off Broadway. But this is not the full story. He has been selling and servicing motorcycles for 48 years. First in Forest City, then Spartanburg and when he grew tired of driving back and forth, he fi nally came back home and built his present location. Another part of this weeks celebration was that this past Sunday, May 15, Bill was 79 years old! He gets up at 5:30 a.m. six days a week and can’t wait to get to work. One thing you can say about Bill, customers follow him like a cat when you give it a bowl of milk. You might say his customers “feed” off him. There’s good reason for this. You see, Bill is very big on customer service. With him, that’s a priority. What caused this attitude? The reason is very simple. When Bill and a friend, Bill Bennett, were looking to buy a new bike, they went to a dealer in Valdese, in 1960. They ordered two Triumph bikes. When they came in, Bill and his friend went to get them. As they arrived, the owner was walk- ing out the door. Bill told him “we got our money on our hip and want to pick up our new bikes”. The owners reply was: “you’ll have to come back because I’m going fi shing!” Frustrated, Bill and his friend left and drove to another dealer in Charlotte. They waited over 20 minutes in the showroom and no one waited on them. When fi nally someone waited on them, they had to wait another 15 minutes or so to get a price. When he returned he blessed them both out when they mentioned how long they waited. So, the next week they went to Spartanburg to a Harley-Davidson Dealer. Probably, because they were so young, they ended up getting laughed at. That did it! Bill went to a newsstand and bought two motorcycle maga- zines and started writing letters not only to buy a bike, but to inquire about becoming a dealer. Within two weeks he got replies. Then, one day at his day job, bottling at the Pepsi plant where he worked for fi ve years, Bill was told there was someone there to see him. He said they would have to wait a few minutes until he fi nished his run. When he came to the offi ce, there was Otis Jones from Federal, N.C. He had SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL In Out Service Center InspectionsInspections & Service Center In & Out Inspections • Brakes ...&Inspections • Brakes ...& More! More! Across From Dollar General 828-247-6005 431 West Main Street Forest City $40. $50. $24. 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT 00 BRAKE SPECIAL Bill with his son, Billy Howard Epley, Jr. 00 OIL & FILTER CHANGE 99 Most makes & models Honest & Fair Prices & Honest & Fair Prices & Service In A Christian Environment! Service In A Christian Environment! SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL We buy aluminum, steel, insulated copper wire, brass, copper, aluminum cans or rims, radiators, etc. New Large Scales Installed Installed Call for prices! 620 Hwy. 120, Mooresboro • 828-447-3505 SOS Recycling WE ARE OPEN DURING LUNCH! ARE OPEN DURING s We unload your junk for you! MORE LOCATIONS TO BETTER SERVE YOU... CROUSE, NC • YORK, SC • MON.-SAT. 9AM-5PM buy your junk! buy your junk! We will will Georgia his wife of 60 years with Bill at work. WE PAY TOP DOLLAR WE PAY CASH! WE PAY TOP DOLLAR Now Buying Cars, Trucks, Farm Equipment Now Buying Cars, 74 West from Shelby Exit 189 Exit Hwy. 120 Hwy. 120 Cross bridge, look for signs directions! Call for 74 East from Forest City Exit Hwy. 120 Exit 189 a truck and trailer with seven new motorcycles. He asked Bill to sign for them and he not only got his new bike, but also was in business. He had no dealers license to sell and needed to get one. He had only $550 to his name, so he took the bikes and stored them in a building behind his father’s house. He kept his day job at the Pepsi plant and sold the bikes in the evening. To get them fi nanced he had to drive to Gastonia. It was the early 60’s and the determined Mr. Epley was on his way! He also never forgot how he was treated. To this day, customer service is number one. The day I visited the dealership, a gray headed man who came by to wish Bill continued success, simply stated: “He sold me my fi rst bike when I was a teenager and I follow him everywhere.” As folks came and enjoyed free hot dogs, drinks, and chips, they all had to come in and shake Bills hand and wish him continued success. E & H Motorcycle has what every business would love - customer loyalty. Bills customers are his friends. Bill and his wife, Georgia, have been married 60 years. She was 16 and he was 18 when they were married by W. R. Douglas in Gaffney. It cost Bill $10. He told his mama he was going fi shing. She asked him why he wearing a white dress up shirt to go fi shing. Georgia got dressed up and told her mom she was going to church. Now, they have three children, Melinda, Susan and Howard. Georgia said Bill told her they were going to keep having babies until he got a boy! So, for her, the third child was a welcome relief! She cooks him breakfast every day. He always has oat- meal and sometimes an egg with some livermush. She also packs him a lunch every day. It’s either a ham and cheese sandwich or bologna and cheese plus three sugar free peanut butter cookies and either a banana or apple. His favorite meal is pintos and cornbread and then some banana pudding. As for working, Bill will tell you that he will “keep working ‘til God gets me.” His order of priorities? “God is fi rst, my wife is second, and my kids third.” He now has ten grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren with one more on the way in July. What is the key to his success? “Just being nice to people!” That, my friends, is very obvious! Bill has no customers, just friends! DENT WORKS Mike • 828-429-5001 Rick • 217-725-3466 SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL • SPECIAL ©Community First Media Community First Media ©Community First Media Community First Media ©Community First Media Community First Media ©Community First Media Community First Media 16,000 COPIES 16,000 COPIES 39 Years Experience! FREE ESTIMATES EVERY WEEK! EVERY WEEK!