Beginnings

Tom Glaser founded Burlington Foreign Car Parts (BFCP) in April of 1973 with a van and some Volkswagen parts. BFCP started as a "mom-and-pop" operation, where Tom made the deliveries and his wife, Jill, managed the bookkeeping. Understanding the importance of consistency, Tom drove the same routes each week allowing his customers to know exactly which days and approximate time that they could expect their parts. As the number of Volkswagen specialists grew, so did BFCP's inventory. When the van became too small, Tom and Jill converted any extra space in their home and garage into BFCP's first warehouse.

Landmarks

In 1979, BFCP opened its first store in Shelburne, Vermont. The store measured 4,500 square feet, and allowed BFCP to stock a broader range of European parts as well as Japanese parts, which were gaining popularity. The first retail counter was set up during this time, and "Hotshot Deliveries” (local deliveries made on an as needed basis) became a regular part of BFCP’s operation.

In 1984, an additional 6,000 square feet of warehouse space was added. BFCP soon became known as the place to call for the hard-to-find auto parts.

In 1986, a store was added in South Burlington, VT. This store offered an additional retail counter and helped BFCP to better serve the Burlington area.

In 1990, BFCP began stocking parts for domestic cars.

In 1995, a store was added in White River Junction, VT, expanding local and daily deliveries to New Hampshire and Southern Vermont.

In 1995, we became an Independent Warehouse Distributor (IWD) member. This membership has given us the buying power to be competitive with our pricing.

In 2000, a warehouse was added in Berlin, VT. This warehouse provides hotshot delivery service to the Barre - Montpelier area.

In 2002, BFCP opened a warehouse in Rutland, VT, allowing BFCP to better serve Central and Southern Vermont, and allowing for hotshot deliveries to the local Rutland area.

In November of 2002, the Glaser's purchased Plattsburgh Motor Service (PMS). PMS was primarily a domestic parts distributor as well as a Dupont automotive paint distributor for the Northeast region of New York. PMS operates out of a 40,000+ square foot warehouse, with an attached storefront, in Plattsburgh, NY.

In 2004, we joined the S.I.P.S. (Society of Import Parts Specialists) organization. This decision has proven to be very beneficial, as we have been able to gain knowledge from our fellow Import Specialists around the country.

Today, BFCP and PMS combine their resources to work together. PMS now stocks a wide variety of import parts, and BFCP has increased its domestic capabilities.

Spring of 2006 marked a busy time for BFCP with improvements made to the main warehouse in Shelburne, a new store set up in Concord, New Hampshire, and a change in buying groups to APA.

Early 2007 saw additional changes with the opening of two new BFCP locations. An Essex Junction store opened in January, which will help facilitate even better customer service in and around Burlington, VT. And a new territory is created with the April opening of a Manchester, NH location. Thus, further extending BFCP's range of service throughout New York, New Hampshire and Vermont, and making it even more consumer friendly.