The Western Auto Store

My pastor recently told a story at church about going to the Western Auto Store as a kid, and I thought that would be a good topic for me to write about.  Unfortunately, the company has gone the way of K-mart and other retail powerhouses that didn’t do well in the new millennium. 

George Pepperdine founded the auto parts mail order company in 1921 to supply parts for the “new” automobile industry.  Due to health issues, Mr. Pepperdine moved to Denver and then California when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  If that name sounds familiar to you, he also founded Pepperdine University.

Western Auto had many of its own branded items made by other popular companies of the day. Its own line of firearms, Revelation, was produced by Mossberg, Savage and Remington for Western Auto. The company also had its own tire brand, True Tone radios and Western Flyer bicycles.

Although the company was known for its mail-order catalogs, like Sears and J. C. Penney, it also had brick-and-mortar stores that carried auto parts, hardware, appliances and many other items of interest to all family members. I can see why a 1960s kid would love to go to that store.  

In the 1980s, Sears bought out Western Auto and, in the 1990s, sold the auto parts division to Advance Auto Parts, and you know what happened to Sears.  Amazon and online retail have led to the demise of many “mom and pop” and other physical stores, which I personally miss.  I miss the old five-and-dime stores like S.S. Kresge and Woolworth.   Now, the threat to our town shops is caused by the Chinese giants Temu and Shein.  I hope you will shop and support local businesses.  Happy Collecting!