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. Pep Boys stocked plenty of auto accessories and car parts for the 1914 Ford Model T, one of first mass-produced cars.
As the foursome initially set up their store, Moe’s eye fell on a carton of Pep Valve Grinding compound and suggested Pep. Pep Auto Supply Company was the company’s name its first two years. The current, famous “Pep Boys” name emerged in pieces, partly coming from a Philadelphia police officer who encouraged people to visit “the boys at Pep” and a cross-country trip to Los Angeles that inspired the “Manny, Moe & Jack” moniker from a dress shop. Radivitz and Jackson eventually left the business a short time later, and Strauss’ brother eventually took on the role of Jack. A can of Pep Valve Grinding Compound, the inspiration for the Pep Boys name.
The Pep Boys on a sketch of the road trip that inspired them to expand to CaliforniaShrewd 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.
Pep Boys went public in 1945 in order to meet increasing consumer demand unleashed at the end of WWII. The infusion of cash went directly into growing the business, and Pep Boys followed the masses out to the suburbs.
When Pep Boys expanded to California, stores opened with the first service bays to provide trusted quality auto service to customers.
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. Today, this building is known as the Store Support Center, housing the company’s corporate offices.
In the next 20 years, the number of stores nearly tripled to a total of 124 by 1969. It was during this time service bays and service managers were added to each store. Through the 1970s, Pep Boys converted all stores to self-serviced merchandising and implemented a computerized inventory system.