AUBURN – Chris Obie has joined Madison Avenue hair salon.

Obie graduated from Bernard’s School of Hair fashion and has five years of experience. She worked most recently at Sheer Madness. She specializes in color, cuts, foils and family hair care.

The salon is at 168 Main St. For more information, phone 782-5920.

Advance Auto Parts opening Paris store

PARIS – Advance Auto Parts opens its first store here Sept. 1. It will be located at 112 Main St.

Company officials cite market conditions, strong growth potential and a large presence of do-it-yourself mechanics as factors influencing the decision for a 7,000-square-foot store.

“The new store employs 12 team members who offer customers a variety of free services, including expert advice, electrical system component testing and battery and wiper blade installation,” said Joe Sterbank, Advance Auto Parts’ regional vice president.

Fred Grace manages the store. Grace has been with Advance Auto Parts for 10 years and has 25 years of experience in the automotive and retail sales industries. He has completed the Automotive Service Excellence program, the standard of knowledge in the automotive industry.

The Paris store is a community recycling center, accepting used oil and used vehicle batteries at no charge.

Advance Auto Parts offers free parts delivery to commercial customers, carries thousands of parts in its in-store inventory and provides customers with quick access to more than 100,000 parts within 24 hours.

In-store displays and a consumer education program and the Advance Auto Parts Television Network help educate consumers on how to repair and replace various vehicle systems and parts. Detailed articles on the company’s Web site – www.advanceautoparts.com – provide consumers step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting and repairing a variety of vehicle components, and offer seasonal driving tips.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is based in Roanoke, Va., and is a leading retailer of automotive parts and accessories. In 2005, Forbes magazine named Advance the best managed company in America for the retail sector. As of July 16, the company operated 2,708 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

For more information about the new store, phone (207) 743-5670.