After 68 years, Modesto auto care business closes part of shop. New retailer moves in
After almost seven decades in Modesto, Pep Boys is closing part of its business and partnering with another company to keep its prominent McHenry Avenue location a destination for those with auto care needs.
The auto parts and repair shop is shuttering the retail side of its business, and will focus instead on its service shop. The retail store will be taken over by Advance Auto Parts, a national auto parts chain that is partnering with Pep Boys to take over all of the company’s 109 retail businesses in California.
Founded in Pennsylvania in 1921 by three friends (Manny, Moe and Jack) whose names still are emblazoned on its signs, Pep Boys has been a stalwart valley business through the decades. The company opened its first Stanislaus County location in 1953 on 10th Street in downtown Modesto.
The car shop operated downtown for more than 10 years before moving to a spot on lower McHenry Avenue in 1964. Five years later, in 1969, it finished work and moved into a new, larger location a little further up on McHenry where it still sits.
The large white building, with its distinctive retro logo, has become a city landmark and takes up the entire southeast corner of McHenry and Orangeburg avenues.
The switchover of California Pep Boys retail shops to Advance Auto Parts was first announced in March. The parts company is leasing the space from Pep Boys, and the changeover of the more than 100 sites will be completed in the next 9 to 12 months, according to a press release about the partnership.
Advance Auto Parts operates from 4,806 stores across the United States, Canada and U.S. territories but with none so far in California — another reason the deal with Pep Boys makes sense.
Pep Boys has about 1,000 locations across the country, and in 2016 was acquired by the Icahn Automotive Group which also owns AAMCO, Precision Tune Auto Care and AutoPlus.
Arianna Stefanoni Sherlock, Pep Boys assistant vice president for communications, said they don’t have a timeline for when the switchover will happen in Modesto, or information on how many employees will be affected by the change.
Brian Kaner, CEO of Pep Boys and Icahn Automotive Service Division, said in a written statement about the partnership that the deal would help reinforce the company’s position as a “leading repair and maintenance provider” for customers and fleet service on the West Coast.
“The agreement this year will provide us with an opportunity to refresh our Service Center locations and reinvest in the market to meet emerging customer needs, particularly as demand for electric vehicle service grows in the region,” he said in the written statement.
Sherlock said expect the remaining Pep Boys service center in Modesto to be renovated for an updated look. But, rest assured, I also asked what would happen to their stylish red vintage neon logo.
She said the company, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding this year, embraces its long heritage. Indeed, Pep Boys saved its iconic sign from its longtime downtown Fresno shop last year when the store was closed.
“Places with historic or heritage aspects of the building we’re preserving them,” Sherlock said. “We did it in Fresno. This is our centennial year and heritage is very important to us.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
