Autobooks/Aerobooks’ driving force

Jackson Bell

When Chet Knox came out of retirement 16 months ago to buy one of

his favorite stores in Burbank, his most daunting challenge was

overcoming his toughest critic: his wife.

“When I came into this, my wife was convinced I was too old to go

into business,” the 75-year-old said. “She still isn’t too hot about

the idea.”

He bought Autobooks/Aero- books, a bookstore with a stock of

74,000 books specializing exclusively in everything related to

automobiles and airplanes. The business, in its 51st year, also has a

wide selection of models ranging in prices from $20 to $200.

Knox is no stranger to the world of the entrepreneur. He has owned

and operated six businesses throughout his career, including a

Corvette wrecking yard and a few Texaco gas stations across town. As

a longtime patron who frequented the store for 30 years while

building a collection of 300 automotive books, owning the store felt

right to him.

“When I saw the opportunity to buy the store, I decided to move

quickly before [the previous owner] decided to change his mind,” he

said.

Attracting aficionados from all around the country, Knox said his

store has the most comprehensive inventory in the nation. Also, if

the store doesn’t have a particular book customers are looking for,

the staff will go out of its way to fulfill their needs. That level

of commitment is the store’s number-one priority.

“The years and years I came as a customer, I never knew the

owner,” he said. “Now, with a new customer, I like to meet them and

give the fellas special attention instead of taking the ‘here’s your

book, where’s my money?’ approach.”

Knox even takes pictures of patrons’ exotic cars and posts them on

the store’s Web site.