Western auto memories

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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I guess I am too young and I didn't grow up anywhere near a western auto store.

Today my older cousin was digging out an old box from the back room of the shop and we found a blast from the past.

He says he got these sunglasses as a teenager in the early 90s. He went on to tell me that an advance auto store I currently frequent was in fact a former western auto store which I was not aware of until now.

Do any of you have any memories or old pics involving a western auto store?

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I have memories as a kid, late 60s early 70s. Didn't look like an auto parts store, I remember bicycles, certain toys and such. Auto parts counter was about 4' wide at the back of the store. Probably closed up in the 80s:)
 
One of My Lionel Train Sets came from Western Auto.
My Dad bought a Go-Kart from them in the Early Eighties!
 
No pictures... Haha. The days before digital..... but I had a Western Auto shotgun as a kid (Revelation I think was the brand). Was also where I bought all my Boy Scout uniforms...
 
From what I remember it was an all-around kinda store. Hardware, toys such as bikes, and I guess auto related stuff but I was too young for that. I do remember going in often and looking around.
 
Western Auto had been in FL for moons. Last one was in Bayonet Point... place was always cool. Last purchase was a cordless Skill Saw, circa 2003... I bought it so I could cut Lumber, while on stilts, and shoot it to concrete walls, with out Busting my *** over the cord! I pre cut what I could on the ground, but for fire rating,, the top horizontals had to be tight! lol major help! My first Cordless....Western Auto...... looks like they are still there!, well outta curiosity, I called. ...
 
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I remember one being in Southwick, Massachusetts next to a Chevrolet dealer that also vaporized but never went in.
 
We had a Western Auto store in the little town in Ohio where I grew up in the early 70's. Old creaky wood floors with a storefront that looked alot like that from post #6 above. I went there often as it had a bicycle repair shop and an older guy up the street from my home was the bike repairman. I took my bike in there often to get "a tune-up"...had to keep that banana bike in tip-top shape!! They had lots of bike parts/accessories in it - cool stuff! I used to get an innertube patch kit there and other such items. But I don't recall if they had the playing card and clothespin for the spokes!! They also had general hardware and household items. I don't recall any auto parts though.
 
I used to take this kid back in the 70s to work at Western Auto in Virginia because he couldn’t drive is 1967 Chevy II that was broken down all the time. I used to shop there too, it reminded me of a Pep Boys.
 
I shopped at Western Auto in 1969 when I was looking for a new banana seat bike with my paper route money. Went there, Sears, Schwinn, then finally JC Penney and bought a 69 Swinger V from Penney's. Western Auto had a version of the bike called the Buzz Bike but had none in stock, so JCP is was! I totalled it in 1972 which meant I parted out my first Swinger then...LOL I have three of them now, ain't $69.95 anymore!

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In the downstairs of my local western auto was where the kept the tires....Road Hugger N/50's and L/60's....my how I miss the belted tall tires...especially in the 14 inch size!
 
66fyssh said:
Really, Really cool. Man, that takes me back.

Off topic, but we would cut the individual forks off a junk bike and have a little local machine shop weld the cut fork to a good fork we removed and took them. Can you say Chopper!!! The memories!
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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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Only western flyer bikes in western autos...they sucked
 
Our little town back then was too small to have a Western Auto BUT it had a Ben Franklin's five and dime. Tells ya what a $ is worth today!
 
barbee6043 said:
Our little town back then was too small to have a Western Auto BUT it had a Ben Franklin's five and dime. Tells ya what a $ is worth today!
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Our Ben Franklin finally closed about 10 years ago in Antioch, Illinois...
 
Princess Valiant said:
I guess I am too young and I didn't grow up anywhere near a western auto store.

Today my older cousin was digging out an old box from the back room of the shop and we found a blast from the past.

He says he got these sunglasses as a teenager in the early 90s. He went on to tell me that an advance auto store I currently frequent was in fact a former western auto store which I was not aware of until now.

Do any of you have any memories or old pics involving a western auto store?

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They sold all kinds of old pickup ad ons like tool boxes, west coast style mirrors, saddle blanket seat covers, wagon wheels, etc.
 
I loved Western Auto as a kid.They were too far away to walk to but once I got my license I bought all of my rear tires there for my hot rods. G60-15 bias plys for the win!
 
not sure if they are open but when we came home from dallas/ft worth, thru southern missouri, there were 2 towns with w/a signs on the buildings. had a star shifter from them in my 56 ford. what a pos. had to shift it exactly right or it would lock in between rev/1st. those were the days.
 
Wasn't familiar with them in OH but there was one on the main E-W road in the next biggest city when i moved to FL.

Looking back, it was similar to the modern "Pep Boys".

I don't remember too much non-automotive stuff in it though.

I believe it closed about 1991/92.

For the longest time, there was a 66/67 Charger in the back parking lot, but no one in the store seemed to know anything abut it.
It disappeared about a year before the store closed.
 
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