The Origins

JPWheelsupplies

Reflecting on my earliest days as a car enthusiast, I remember 2 scenarios that were predominantly repeating. The first: "I want nice things," and the second: "I don't have money for nice things.” I'm sure many of you can relate or remember a time when you felt this way. Little did I know that these would be the driving forces behind the conception of JPWheelSupplies.

Throughout high school and college, my desire for high quality grew exponentially; however, the income did not. This, along with some personal pride, led me to become as self-sufficient as possible. Any parts, install, body work, etc.. no matter how big or small (or prior experience) would be extensively researched and completed on my own. After years of doing all the work on my cars, I gained quite a bit of knowledge and experience. Somewhere during this timeframe, I got my first set of Japanese three-piece wheels (A true classic: The Weds Kranze Cerberus I). I paid retail and waited 3 months to have them built from a popular wheel rebuilding company (only to be disappointed in the finished product). After 1 week of ownership, the wheels got damaged (on track) and already needed a rebuild.    

                                     

Nevertheless, I was already obsessed and therefore needed more JDM three-piece wheels. Justification? Drift spares. However, I would not make the same mistake twice. This time, I would be in charge of sourcing and purchasing the wheels as well as the labor involved with the rebuild. As always, I began with extensive research and went from there… 

 *The earliest stages..I had no idea where this was ultimately heading. 

  

Fast forward a couple of years to my junior year in college, not having any idea what I wanted to do when finished. I always figured I'd go to college, get a degree, get some job in business, and make a ton of money to finance my expensive hobbies. But, in the back of my mind, I also knew I wanted to work on my own schedule and on my own terms. I had all of this automotive experience, but how could I turn that into a self-starter? It seemed so unrealistic, as it wasn’t the most original idea.

During this same time, I started importing and rebuilding some wheels for friends. “Man, would it be cool to do this for a living!” The thought of having all these rare wheels sitting around and on my cars was a dream. I started picking up as many jobs as I could and bought  any wheels I could afford on the Japanese auctions. (This was not much. Remember, I still don't have money for nice things.) I also created an Instagram page in an attempt to expand my audience. People slowly started to gain interest; it was no longer just friends buying from me or having me rebuild their wheels, but people throughout the U.S. who had faith and trusted me. 

         

Business picked up and showed no signs of stopping. (Keep in mind I am now a full-time senior in college.)  Any spare time I had was spent working on wheels. When I wasn’t busy with customer wheels, I experimented with personal wheels (learning/practicing surface refinishing). I had a plan and a business that I loved, but the return was not enough to take it full time, and time in school was running out. I needed to make a decision: whether I would figure out how to do it full time or start putting my efforts into finding a boring job I'd be sure to hate. Can you tell which I pursued? 

The more I committed to this path, the more profits and labor efficiency rose. It was starting to look viable - implementing new strategies and offerings to maximize JPWheelSupplies’ potential and expand horizons. Finishing up my last semester, I was fully committed. I graduated from the University of Central Florida in the Summer of 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Integrated Business. I officially registered “JPWheelSupplies LLC” and hit the ground running.  

I can’t thank everyone enough - those who have supported me from the very beginning and all of the new supporters along the way. Each and every one of you is the reason I get to do what I love every day. The pursuit of having nice things and having money to buy nice things never ceases. We have big plans for future expansion, so stay tuned for what’s to come! I look forward to y’all’s continued support and am excited to see what this evolves to!

-Constantin