The final chapter in the history of an Englewood business is being written as Svigel Auto Parts prepares to close its doors for the final time.

The family operated firm has done business since 1959, but the roots of the company date back to the 1930s when Dave Svigel and his wife, Julia, operated an auto-related business near the intersection of Santa Fe and Hampden.

Jim Svigel Jr. said the business used to be the place to come to buy new or used auto parts. Those restoring older cars came to Svigel's for original parts, plus the company could rebuild auto parts like carburetors and generators for vehicles from the 1930s to the '70s.

He said gradually competition from corporate auto parts stores and the Internet increased.

“Our business has long been new and used auto parts," Jim Svigel explained. "My cousin Wayne, who handles the new parts business, had a customer who bought some gaskets, put us in touch with another new parts dealer in the state of Washington who came in, and we worked out a deal for him to buy our entire new parts inventory, which is huge.”

Svigel said he estimates that, starting on Jan. 20, it will take 15 tractor-trailer rigs a month until July to remove the entire new parts inventory from Svigel Auto Parts.

“As we are getting out of the new parts business, it will probably take until the end of 2016 for us to dispose of all our used auto parts so we can close down for good,” he said. “It will take that long because the price of scrap metal is so low that we would suffer financially if we tried to do it any quicker.”

Jim Svigel is the third generation heading the Svigel business.

“My grandfather got things started when he owned and operated a gas station and repaired cars back in the 1930s,” he said. “My dad ran the business, now I am running the business plus my son and his son are also involved in our business. We also have cousins and other family members who either are working here or have worked here."

The business is in the 4300 block of South Santa Fe Drive. The current building was constructed in 1959 because the original location at Santa Fe and Hampden became part of the Hampden-Santa Fe interchange.

The north side of the building is the new parts section. Wayne Svigel is in charge of that area. In addition to selling new parts, he rebuilds carburetors, generators and other auto items using original parts.

Some of the history of the business is displayed in the window, on the walls and suspended from the ceiling.

There is a FOMOCO sign announcing the business carried genuine Ford parts, a sign advertising Rochester Carburetors along with a neon Buick sign. There are Colorado auto license plates on the walls dating back to the 1920s. Over the years, Wayne Svigel has assembled a huge collection of auto memorabilia including the signs, license plates, a wide variety antique tools, and a collection of the knobs used on gear shifts and steering wheels.

“We have collected a lot of items over the years and decided to display them here in the shop,” he said. “I like to think of this as a working auto memorabilia museum."

The used parts are in the south side of the building. Jim Svigel Jr. is located in that area along with a huge inventory of tires, ranging from those for small cars to the huge tires for tractors. Behind the tires are rows of aisles where used parts are stored.

Jim Jr. also cuts flat safety glass for vehicles.

“Those restoring old cars have to replace flat windows from time to time, and they use safety glass,” he said as he demonstrated the technique. “I am using a pattern to cut safety glass for a 1930s Chevrolet vent window.”

Safety glass is plastic material inside glass so it won't shatter when broken. Svigel traces a pattern, scribes both sides of the glass with a glass cutter. He then bends the part of the sheet of glass that will be discarded down and uses alcohol and flame to melt the plastic so the excess material can be separated.

The auto parts business sits on a seven-acre site, and Svigel said there are about 600 car bodies contained in lot behind the building.

“We are preparing to put the property on the market, and the first step is to do the required environmental assessment,” he said. “That should be completed by March and then we will see what the listing brings. We have two or three people who have said they are interested in the site, but we will have to wait and see it they decide to make an offer to buy us out.”