Western auto memories

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We had one in Valley View Shopping Center in Candler, NC. It was kinda like an Ace Hardware is today, only better. My Dad was a licensed electrician and would go to Western Auto to get stuff on the weekends when the electric supply house was closed. I was just a little kid, but always helped him with side jobs. He had me convinced that I was the only one who could crawl under houses and work in creepy attics to pull and feed wire...lol. We were in Western Auto one Saturday to get some stuff, and I was looking at a purple 20" Buzz Bike with the banana seat and ape hangers while he was getting wire and boxes. I already had a bike and was only admiring it and never even thought about asking for it. My Dad walked over and said "Son, do you like that bike?" I said, "Yes sir, but I already have a bike and was just looking." He just smiled and said, "Wait here then and I'll be done in a minute." The bikes were right by the front door. A few minutes later he came back with all of his stuff and said "Boy, get your new bike and come on, we gotta get back to work." I just stood there stunned for a few seconds because we weren't rich and $30 was a lot of money for a bike when I already had one. Then he said "I bought the bike for you because you always work and help me. You never complain and all you get is a Coke and peanuts or a baloney sandwich your Mama packs for us. The bike is your pay for always helping me, so grab it and let's go." That was a good memory that I hadn't thought about in a long time.
I have a 30-30 rifle that is a Western Auto gun. I don't know if they were made by Marlin, Winchester or ? It's an old gun that just says Western Auto, but it's a good ol gun.
 
tinman2 said:
I remember seeing those modified bicycle forks. It looked like someone cut off the small end from the bicycle and because of the taper, just jammed on another pair over top of the them and bolted on the wheel.
I had the standard Schwinn Stingray 5 speed with the Hurst looking shifter on the frame and the drag slick rear tire. I did not mod mine. A couple guys in the neighborhood had those Schwinn "...Crate" bikes with the Springer front forks and little 16"ish front wheel. One guy removed the spring from his to really extend the fork rake (dangerous).
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I remember seeing a couple of the forks just jammed together. I would never trust that and always had mine welded. Somewhere I have a picture of mine. If I find it I'll post.
 
Every small town in Texas seemed to have one. They were usually the first choice for tune up parts, generators, starters, oil filters, tires and batteries. Lots of folks would bring their car/truck and their new set of WA tires for us to mount at the service station.

They had lots of stuff… tools, bicycles, wagons, etc. Really missed them when they closed down.
 
We had one in our small town, back then, maybe 3500 people.
 
Macon had one on the corner of Walnut and 3rd streets. It was across the intersection from the First Sears and Roebuck in Macon. Boy, Macon was a happenin place back then. Our Western Auto had everything. Bicycles, fishing gear, bb and pellet guns, rifles and shotguns, auto supplies and on and on. Ours also had an auto service department in DIRECT competition with the Sears Auto center that was out in the parking lot set well away from the main Sears building.
 
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My dad bought this 3/8 socket set in the '60s from Western Auto in Shoals Ind.
 
In Concord, California, where I grew up, during the 1950s the Western Auto store was located in the Foskett & Elworthy building, which was the first brick and masonry building in town:

25. Foskett & Elworthy Building | ConcordHistory.Com

For many years before that the building housed the only bank in town, and then a succession of retail stores after the bank was bought out.

My brother and I would go there to buy wagons, but not bicycles because we didn't think Western Auto's bikes were a particularly good value. Same as to Sears's "J.C. Higgins" brand. We would instead buy our 3-speed English "lightweight" bikes at the Pay Less drug store in Oakland, which imported British brands such as Hopper and Vulcan and sold them for $28.50. When the bike needed repair that we couldn't do ourselves, we would go to a "real" bike shop around the corner and down the street from the Western Auto Store.

Anybody remember Western Auto's brand name for wagons, trikes and bikes? I think maybe it was "Radio Flyer", but am not sure.

Foskett and Elworthy building.jpg
 
Really big in Cali in the late 60s in Cali. Was the go to place for Bolton speed parts. You were cool with your 10,000 rpm RAC tach and gauges along with a set of N50s.

Let’s not forget getting our Cragers and JC Penny slicks at JC auto.
 
i bought headers and cragers at jc penny for my wifes 72 nova rallye. our w/a had a small eng repair shop in it also. lawn mowers, chain saws, etc. jc higgins was a brand of gun they sold.
 
rbkt65 said:
i bought headers and cragers at jc penny for my wifes 72 nova rallye. our w/a had a small eng repair shop in it also. lawn mowers, chain saws, etc. jc higgins was a brand of gun they sold.
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I've got a couple of JC Higgins shotguns. They're rebranded from other manufacturers. I have a 'Western Field' shotgun that's actually just a Mossberg 500, although it is dressed up a bit. I knew the Higgins were re-brands, didn't know they were Western Auto. I'd love to roll into an Autozone and buy a gun. I'll just have to keep buying them from the people changing the transmission in their Camaro in the Autozone parking lot, instead.
 
I tried finding a photo of our old Western Auto building but couldn't. It was right on Maint street of our little 9,000 population town.

Bill Crowell said:
In Concord, California, where I grew up, during the 1950s the Western Auto store was located in the Foskett & Elworthy building, which was the first brick and masonry building in town:

25. Foskett & Elworthy Building | ConcordHistory.Com

For many years before that the building housed the only bank in town, and then a succession of retail stores after the bank was bought out.

My brother and I would go there to buy wagons, but not bicycles because we didn't think Western Auto's bikes were a particularly good value. Same as to Sears's "J.C. Higgins" brand. We would instead buy our 3-speed English "lightweight" bikes at the Pay Less drug store in Oakland, which imported British brands such as Hopper and Vulcan and sold them for $28.50. When the bike needed repair that we couldn't do ourselves, we would go to a "real" bike shop around the corner and down the street from the Western Auto Store.

Anybody remember Western Auto's brand name for wagons, trikes and bikes? I think maybe it was "Radio Flyer", but am not sure.

View attachment 1715974742
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Went into a ADvauto....sucks.
Not a salesperson worth their skim in that place. They closed pep boys for this shathole...ugh no thanks.
Even their online site sucks.

I miss chief auto and kragen . orielys sucks too... I just walked out n left my **** on the counter of one a day ago... horrible service and poor inventory. Employees are slobs too.

Could be a sign... these stores will be the 1st things gone if greenewsteal goes into overdrive.
 
I used to go to one with my Dad for parts in the early 60's. Later in life I would go there for parts on my own. The same family has owned the place for 60 years that I've been going there. In the late 70s or early 80's they did away with WA and became a True Value, which the 3rd generation of the family is now running. I still go there at least once or twice a week, mainly for misc nuts, bolts and hardware. It's not as cool, but going there always brings back good memories and it is great to see a small family business still viable.
 
In ‘84 I bought my first ‘68 Notchback!

Went into the local Western Auto and put this and the rest of the system on layaway!!!!

Small town I lived in, so everyone knew your parents… the owner of the WA was the town magistrate!!!

FEBB4833-1C51-45D9-B9B1-A2CE9F076F24.jpeg
 
kraco was also big at kmart. was always a good cheap alternate to the really high dollar(50.00 and up) radios.
 
I carry this from western auto in my trunk...
FB_IMG_1552534340565-01.jpeg

'65 Western Flyer HiLo (trunk bike) with my 65 Dart.
 
jos51700 said:
I've got a couple of JC Higgins shotguns. They're rebranded from other manufacturers. I have a 'Western Field' shotgun that's actually just a Mossberg 500, although it is dressed up a bit. I knew the Higgins were re-brands, didn't know they were Western Auto. I'd love to roll into an Autozone and buy a gun. I'll just have to keep buying them from the people changing the transmission in their Camaro in the Autozone parking lot, instead.
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JC Higgins was a Sears brand. They sold to other companies as well, but Sears was the main seller of the Higgins brand. I have a 1940s 12ga double barrel, rod and reel and a couple of gas pressure lanterns all JC Higgins.
 
I bought some seafoam green western auto paint near Vancouver BC in 1996. I decided to paint the interior of the 196w Scout also. Had to drive down to Blaine Washington and pick some up! Was a big deal going through the border I thought. They said glad you were able to even find the same color. Was actually some decent paint !
 
Bill Crowell said:
In Concord, California, where I grew up, during the 1950s the Western Auto store was located in the Foskett & Elworthy building, which was the first brick and masonry building in town:

25. Foskett & Elworthy Building | ConcordHistory.Com

For many years before that the building housed the only bank in town, and then a succession of retail stores after the bank was bought out.

My brother and I would go there to buy wagons, but not bicycles because we didn't think Western Auto's bikes were a particularly good value. Same as to Sears's "J.C. Higgins" brand. We would instead buy our 3-speed English "lightweight" bikes at the Pay Less drug store in Oakland, which imported British brands such as Hopper and Vulcan and sold them for $28.50. When the bike needed repair that we couldn't do ourselves, we would go to a "real" bike shop around the corner and down the street from the Western Auto Store.

Anybody remember Western Auto's brand name for wagons, trikes and bikes? I think maybe it was "Radio Flyer", but am not sure.

View attachment 1715974742
Click to expand...

I used to service the HVAC equipment at "The Old Bank Building" throughout the 90's.
At That time, there was a barber shop, vacuum cleaner repair, Trudy's Deli, T.R.'s Bar and Grille and various offices upstairs. Very cool old building.
We still drive to Concord a couple times a month for the Concerts in the Park at Todos Santos Plaza.
 
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