BOISE-- On the corner of Emerald and Orchard is a business that has been there for the past 45 years. Bow Wow Auto Parts may not look like an auto part store at first glance, but below the sign with a brown dog is just that.
After serving in the Vietnam War, Michael Thorton was ready for a new adventure. He and his wife Pat packed up their Volkswagen Bus and moved from Seattle to Boise.
Pat said their own experiences with Volkswagens led them to see the need for a parts store in the area. This need was met when they opened shop. Pat continued to say that starting the new business wasn't as tough as you might think.
"It's was not hard, because we knew nothing," said Pat. "Every day was a new adventure and you completed the process."
That was a process that continued for decades.
"Always we did something for the store when we did it, we made the store included in our life," said Pat. "That's what you did back then when you were in business for yourself."
Michael continued that hard work until he died in September 2015 of Alzheimer's and dementia.
"He could come out of that shell a little bit with customers he had known for years, and I think his last several years would have been completely different if we hadn't had kept the store," said Pat.
It wasn't easy for Pat to run Bow Wow and take care of her husband, but she said she knows the store is where he belonged.
Because her husband and business partner died, she said she feels it is now time for her to retire. Bow Wow is set to close its doors for the last time on June 2.
Pat says it will be strange to not go into work, but she is ready for the next chapter of her life. "I think it will be good. I'll have to make an effort, but it will be good."
Pat and Michael had a lot of customers over the years - some have been customers for decades.
"Yesterday we had a lady come in. She said, 'I started coming in when I was 16 years old, now I'm 62.'"
As business owners, Pat said they learned a valuable lesson.
"If you do it right, it will make most people satisfied."