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WILKES-BARRE — A new A&A Auto “super store” could be open by the end of the year in Kingston.
Rudy Forlenza, general manager and director of retail facilities for A&A, said the company will consolidate its current Wilkes-Barre and Kingston sores into one new, much bigger facility.
Construction of the new store is nearing completion — it’s located across Market Street from the A&A store there.
“We hope to have the new store open by the end of the year,” Forlenza said. “There will be no loss of jobs — all 10 employees will be working in the new store.”
Forlenza said the new store will be much larger, with increased inventory and plenty of parking for customers.
“It wanted to create a super store,” Forlenza said. “And we will have three vehicles for increased delivery service.”
With the consolidation of the two stores, Forlenza said A&A will operate 18 total stores in eight counties: Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Lycoming, Schuylkill, Wayne, Monroe and Lehigh.
Forlenza said A&A will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2018, and he said there will be several events planned.
On the A&A website, it notes that the company history began with the dreams of a father and son and the opening of the first retail A&A Auto Store. Joe Amato Sr., a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, opened the first A&A store in 1958 — a store with ample space to serve as a distribution center for other enthusiasts and small local repair shops.
Several years later, Joe’s son Joe Jr. — a young, high school student — entered the family business. Joe Jr. was passionate about drag racing and keen on building his family legacy. Following his passion, he created S&S Speed, a parts retail store devoted exclusively to speed and performance parts. As Joe Jr. achieved legendary status on the drag racing circuit, the Amato businesses grew and so did the number of automotive and speed enthusiasts employed by the Amato family.
Since then A&A has grown to be an industry leader. For more than 59 years A&A’s presence in Pennsylvania has established the company as “PA’s Original Speed Shop.”