The History
In December 1980, A-Al’s Motorcycle Salvage began in the modest surroundings of Al’s Auto Salvage Yard in St. Louis. The company’s mission was simple: to provide used affordable motorcycle parts to the St. Louis area. A-Al’s moved to Martin Luther King Drive in 1984. In 1987, company president Gary Meyer bought out one of A-Al’s original owners and renamed the company Archway International Motorcycle Salvage (A.I.M.S.). Although the company continued to grow, Meyer began to see that the St. Louis market wasn’t big enough to enable A.I.M.S. to thrive the entire year. So in 1989 he started a mail-order business called Fog Hollow to complement the existing company’s walk-in business. Now the company sells parts nationally and internationally. The decision to include a mail-order business proved to be the boost the company needed and set the stage for long-term expansion. The spacious and historic three-story building at Martin Luther King Drive, once used as a ballroom, roller skating rink and auto parts company, now houses more than 100,000 used parts and is an integral part of the overall plan at A.I.M.S. Fog Hollow. The new Fog Hollow building in Pacific, Mo., features a vast array of new parts for American motorcycles. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll But We Like It...
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© 2002 Archway International Motorcycle Salvage |
Several
years ago Gary Meyer began a tradition of playing his guitar at
the building on Martin Luther King Drive to relax before the start
of a new workday. When one of his employees, Scott Burkhardt, heard
the music emanating from Gary’s office a few years ago, he asked
if he could bring his guitar the following day for a jam session.
Meyer welcomed the opportunity and the tradition of early-morning
jam sessions was born. In addition to having an ear for a soulful
tune, Meyer has developed a knack for knowing when to turn up the
volume on expansion. When the timing was right, he acquired property
in Pacific, MO., in 1995. Construction began in 1996 and the building
was completed in 1997. Finally Meyer was in a position to add to
the extensive inventory and realize his dream of developing a meeting
place for motorcycle riders from all walks of life. "I’ve always
wanted to have a place where people who enjoy motorcycles could
meet and talk," said Meyer, who plans to create a Route 66 display
at his store in Pacific, complete with antique gasoline tanks, motorcycles
and a miniature gas station. 
