Western Auto Supply Company was a chain of automobile parts stores. It was started in 1909 in Kansas City, Missouri, by George Pepperdine, who later founded Pepperdine University.
Western Auto originally started as a mail order business for replacement auto parts. The first retail store was established in 1921, and grew quickly as automobiles became more and more common. At one point, there were over 1,200 company-owned stores nationwide, usually located in metropolitan areas, and more than 4000 associate stores (private franchise "dealer" locations), usually located in small cities and towns. The associate store program was the first of its type, pioneering the way for other future modern day franchise operations. The company had five regional distribution centers in the United States, with the one located in North Carolina serving its stores in Puerto Rico.
Western Auto was known for its "Western Flyer" bicycle and "Performance Radial GT" tire brands. Other Western Auto private labeled brands popular with consumers included "Davis Tires" (likely named for Don A Davis a WA President), "Tough One" Batteries, "Wizard" Tools, "TrueTone" electronics, and "Citation" appliances. Western Auto was also the parent company of Auto America and Parts America stores, as well as acquiring National Tire & Battery.
Sometime in the 40's or 50's, or possibly earlier, Western started selling rifles and shotguns in its catalogues. As with other chains at the time such as Sears, Montgomery Ward, and even JC Penny, Western Auto's firearms were sold under a proprietary brand. Often called "store brand" firearms, they were firearms produced by large-name manufacturers such as Mossberg, Remington, Savage, Winchester, and even High Standard. Sold under the "Revelation" brand name, Western Auto firearms, generally Savage, Marlin, or Mossberg models (which, other than markings, are identical to standard production models) were the most basic model produced by the various vendors with generally plane birch or sometimes walnut stocks. However, metal bluing remained good and nearly all models were provided with iron sights and could mount scopes. Once valued lower than "name brand" equivalents, store-brand rifles, shotguns, and even revolvers have essentially reached price parity with their more universal counterparts.
Firearms were one of many lines added to the store in a product diversification effort. By the end of the 50s Western Auto was very much like a Sears store, even equipped with Catalog Order Center. Auto Parts comprised only a small percentage of the company's sales by the mid-60's and had all but disappeared by the 70s.
In the early 1980s as an answer to the onset of Wal-Mart's big-box strangulation of smaller diversified stores, Western Auto Retail converted all of the company owned stores to what they called "FLAG" stores which sold exclusively automotive parts and accessories. Western Auto Wholesale strongly urged their associate stores to become at least 50% automotive, but most refused because their locations in small town America was a different demographic than the large city "FLAG" store and demanded a wider range of merchandise. This rebellion by the associate stores would later save the company.
In 1987, Sears Roebuck purchased Western Auto, which resulted in greater tire selections, and in Craftsman tools and DieHard batteries being sold at Western Auto stores. Sears valued the freestanding Western Auto stores as outlets for Craftsman and DieHard. However, the heavy competition of discount auto parts stores such as Advance, Carport, Auto-Zone, and O'Reilly proved too much for the company's lack of focus. By the beginning of 1997, less than 850 company-owned stores remained. At that point, the associate stores were the bread-and-butter of the company, with their more diversified name-brand lines including appliances, electronics, hardware, bicycles, go-karts, and outdoor equipment/parts, and their reach into small-town America.
In 1998, parent company Sears sold the remnants of Western Auto to Advance Auto Parts of Roanoke, Virginia. A few of the associate stores converted to Sears Dealer stores. The remainder of the company-owned stores, located primarily in the eastern United States, were then converted into Advance stores. The remaining associate stores were promised a great and long future in the tradition of Western Auto, a promise that wasn't kept. Advance gave little support to the associate store operation and as a result most dealers found themselves purchasing 70%+ of their merchandise from other suppliers and simply using the Western Auto name.
In 2003, Advance terminated the Western Auto Wholesale(Associate Store) operation and notified the dealer/associate stores that they would need to find other supply sources. That was not a problem for many of the stores since most were purchasing merchandise from other sources already. The dealer stores were also informed that they could have limited use of the Western Auto name by 2004. Stores who decided not to operate within Advance's limitations would be in violation of trademark infringement. In the true independent spirit of the associates, there are still Western Auto stores in Alexandria, Louisiana; Marianna, Florida; Lincolnville, Maine; Stevensville, Maryland; Starkville, Mississippi; Forest, and Morristown Tennessee, Trinity, Texas; Henderson; Siler City, North Carolina, and several other smaller cities and towns around the United States proudly displaying their store name as "Western Auto". Advance agreed to allow stores who acted within these limitations to continue to use the "Western Auto" name. Advance has never brought any legal action against any of the stores who violated their agreement, to this day.
The Western Auto name is still used in Puerto Rico, where it is the largest such chain, even though the Western Auto name is being phased out store by store into Advance stores.
The building that once housed the corporate headquarters at 2107 Grand Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, has been transformed into loft condominiums. The Western Auto sign design remains atop the building, and is illuminated nightly.
From 1991 until the end of the 1997 season, Western Auto sponsored NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip's race team. It also sponsored Al Hofmann's Funny Car in NHRA from 1994 to 1996
Dr Jim Marchman has written a book entitled The Last Western Flyer:
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