Manny the travel Bug

Manny would like to go back and visit the area where he grew up, Philadelphia, Pa. Manny started selling Autoparts back in the 20's with Moe and Jack. I know I will enjoy the journey and make many friends on the way.
Thank you for helping me on my way.

Over 80 Years of Automotive Excellence

The Early Years
Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss, Moe Radavitz and Graham "Jack" Jackson were the original Pep Boys. They were four industrious young Philadelphians who pooled $200 each in 1921 to establish an auto parts supply company that would become the $2.2 billion industry leader it is today.

While the Manny, Moe and Jack characters were modeled after founders Rosenfeld, Strauss and Jackson, many people do not know there were originally two Moes. Moe Radavitz left after only a few years in the business. While the names and faces behind the founders draw immense interest, so too does its serendipitous naming, which is now a legend.



Emmanuel Rosenfeld, Maurice Strauss and "The Boys".



Before his death in 1982, Moe Strauss recounted this story about the company's humble beginnings: It was 1921, and Pep Auto Supplies was a new Philadelphia business. "We were trying to think of a name for our store, but we needed a name that was as short as possible. Our first storefront was only a few feet across." The partners were sitting around the store drinking nickel sodas and kicking around ideas for a name. Then, someone noticed a shipment of Pep Valve Grinding Compound in the store, which inspired the name "Pep Auto Supplies."

The change to the name Pep Boys came from a Philadelphia policeman who worked near the first store on 63rd and Market Streets. Every time he stopped a car at night for not having an oil wick burning, he would tell the driver to go see the "boys" at Pep for a replacement. Common usage gave rise to the name Pep Boys.



Brisk business at an early Pep Boys store.


Moe Strauss' trip to California around 1923 brought about the official name of "The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack." Moe noticed that many successful businesses there used first names. One of the dress shops he noticed in particular was called Minnie, Maude and Mabel's. "When I came back from California, I had a friend, Harry Moscovitz, create the three big caricatures of Manny, Moe and Jack," Strauss said.