Buy Low Auto Parts has been a family business operating in Picayune for over 30 years.

The owner and head of the family, Ken Sauls, has been working in the automotive service industry since he was in high school.

“It’s all I’ve ever done,” said Sauls.

With no formal technical training, Sauls got his start from his two older brothers who worked in the industry in his hometown of Bogalusa, Louisiana.

“It was something to do in between school years,” said Sauls.

For two summers, he delivered parts around town before learning enough about the industry to work behind the counter.

After graduating high school, he spent five years working for his brother’s shop before opening his own store in Bogalusa.

When the market pushed him to close the shop, he moved down to Picayune and opened Buy Low Auto Parts three decades ago in December.

The auto industry has changed a lot since he started in 1962, said Sauls.

Vehicle makers have shifted from using from generators to alternators and now everything is computerized, Sauls said.

With his two brothers behind him, and his two sons tending to the counter, Sauls has grown his business in Picayune throughout the past 30 years.

“We’ve grown a good bit,” said Sauls.

The business sells mostly automotive parts, but also services radiators and air conditioning components in the back. They also build hydraulic hoses, said Sauls.

His favorite part of running the store is serving his customers, said Sauls.

When Sauls isn’t helping customers, he spends his time restoring a ’63 Chevrolet Impala and a ’72 Dodge Demon.

Buy Low Auto Parts is located off Highway 43 North across the street from Claiborne Hill Supermarket.