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Pep Boys
Emanual “Manny” Rosenfeld, two Moes- Maurice “Moe” Strauss and Moe Radavitz- and W. Graham “Jack” Jackson chipped in $200 each to start the business. With car ownership skyrocketing, following the introduction of the assembly line production of the Ford Model T, Strauss saw a need for an auto accessories store and knew with the right partners he could make it happen. The founders rented a store at 7-11 North 63rd Street in West Philadelphia, but it still needed a name.
Manny, Moe & Jack
Shrewd planning kept the company safe during the Great Depression. Manny and Moe had incurred no business debts other than reasonable mortgages on store properties. Even during the Depression, Americans still had to spend money on their cars, keeping aftermarket suppliers in business. Pep Boys also sold non-auto accessories including radio supplies and bicycles that made sense for their customer base. The company did not cut back or lay off personnel, run up debt, or sell out to a competitor during the Depression. Instead, it doubled its strength by expanding to California.
Pep Boys opened their first store in Los Angeles in 1933. The California expansion was opened as a separate company, The Pep Boys- Manny, Moe & Jack of California. The company’s first service bays opened their doors in Los Angeles since stores were larger in square footage out west.
The company’s headquarters got a new home as well, moving to its current location at 3111 West Allegheny Avenue in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Pep Boys moved to the building on May 26, 1947, and paid off the mortgage by 1959
The Tiffany Blue Box
With almost 20,000 friendly and knowledgeable associates living the legacy of Manny, Moe & Jack, Pep Boys’ vision is to be the best place to shop and care for your car.
