Still have a scope purchased in mid 1960 s have original box. Also a zebco 33 purchased there.
What happened to Western Auto?
- Thread starter hittman
- Start date
Our small Iowa town had the classic central "square" at its heart. Commercial stores on all four sides facing the square. Three sides had one hardware store each, while the fourth side had the Western Auto. 
The Western Auto I walked to as a kid didn't sell guns.......our attention was held by the bicycles, Mini Bikes, Go Carts and pocket knives......for guns we walked another mile along York Rd to Chesapeake Gun Works....but not before hitting Toy Barn. Later, after Western Auto moved, we just walked across the parking lot to Murphy's Mart to look at guns......tiny display I recall.
When I was about 10 or 12 years old I had my own charge account at the western auto store in the town near where I lived. My dad wasn't a "prominent" person but was a known and respected man so that helped. Mostly charged fishing rods and lures. Each month I would catch a ride with our mail carrier (rural delivery) on his route and ride to town with him. While he was turning in his mail pick-ups and sorting the next day deliveries I'd walk to the store and make my payment then catch a ride home with him.
We bought car models, BB's, CO2 cylinders, Testors model paints, brushes, model spray paints, rockets, model glue.
Kid stuff.
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Armybrat
Hunter
I remember WA in St. Louis and Austin during the 1950s & 60s.
A guys’ “toy store”.
Watertender, I inherited this High Standard .22 from a family friend who bought it sometime in the 1950s. Fun gun to plink with.
A guys’ “toy store”.
Watertender, I inherited this High Standard .22 from a family friend who bought it sometime in the 1950s. Fun gun to plink with.
gjgalligan
Blackhawk
That might explain a lot.....
caryc
Hawkeye
I would have demanded that the employee that took the gun out of lay away and sold it be immediately fired.
Muley Gil
Blackhawk
My dad bought a new battery for my soon-to-be-back-on-the-road '52 Buick from Western Auto. That was in 1971.
In the 1960s, the local WA sold firearms. Too young to buy any guns then.
My first rod and reel came from Western Auto. Around 1969, I bought a set for myself and a set for my younger brother. Less than $10 for both. Little brother caught a nice flounder at Ocean City MD with his. Another fisherman, with a $100 rig in hand, was shaking his head when my bro caught the fish. He couldn't believe that it was caught on such cheap gear.
In the 1960s, the local WA sold firearms. Too young to buy any guns then.
My first rod and reel came from Western Auto. Around 1969, I bought a set for myself and a set for my younger brother. Less than $10 for both. Little brother caught a nice flounder at Ocean City MD with his. Another fisherman, with a $100 rig in hand, was shaking his head when my bro caught the fish. He couldn't believe that it was caught on such cheap gear.
I remember the Wester Auto is where I would go for auto parts for fixing up my old hot rods. We’d get chrome air cleaners from them, as well as window door lock knobs & any kind of weird dress up stuff. My dad bought his tires from there back in the 50s and 60s then he switched to Sears. I remember the big catalog coming in from Western Auto and we always got the Sears and JC Whitney catalogs. JC Whitney was mail order only.
We had a Western Auto here in town until maybe six or eight years ago. Also on my work route there was one in a small town about 30 miles from here. I have no idea if it’s still there or not but I remember the washing machines and the lawn mowers out in the big open front display area and all of the nail and screw bins and auto parts stuff in the back.
Last thing I remember buying from the local store are four sets of chrome lug nuts for my Cragar wheels
We had a Western Auto here in town until maybe six or eight years ago. Also on my work route there was one in a small town about 30 miles from here. I have no idea if it’s still there or not but I remember the washing machines and the lawn mowers out in the big open front display area and all of the nail and screw bins and auto parts stuff in the back.
Last thing I remember buying from the local store are four sets of chrome lug nuts for my Cragar wheels
I didn't grow up in a small town. I grew up near Los Angeles, but there were Western Auto stores there too. I remember going in there on occasion and buying these 50-round boxes of .22s. For some reason, 69 cents seems to stick in my head as the price of a 50-round box there.
Western auto was about three or four miles. But much closer was a store called TryIt.
The thing was huge. Not just kid huge but adult huge. Think Home Depot, Walmart and Cabelas under one roof. Well, Walmart does sell food and TryIt. Try it was their business model. Buy it. Try it. And if you don't like it bring it back
The thing was huge. Not just kid huge but adult huge. Think Home Depot, Walmart and Cabelas under one roof. Well, Walmart does sell food and TryIt. Try it was their business model. Buy it. Try it. And if you don't like it bring it back
In my area, nearly every county seat town had a WA franchise. I bought most of my shotgun shells from WA because they were slightly cheaper than the other stores.
Dad wouldn't let me buy another box until the box I had was down to 5 shells--I guess that came from him growing up during the Depression.
Dad wouldn't let me buy another box until the box I had was down to 5 shells--I guess that came from him growing up during the Depression.
My dad bought a new battery for my soon-to-be-back-on-the-road '52 Buick from Western Auto. That was in 1971.
In the 1960s, the local WA sold firearms. Too young to buy any guns then.
My first rod and reel came from Western Auto. Around 1969, I bought a set for myself and a set for my younger brother. Less than $10 for both. Little brother caught a nice flounder at Ocean City MD with his. Another fisherman, with a $100 rig in hand, was shaking his head when my bro caught the fish. He couldn't believe that it was caught on such cheap gear.
Ocean City fishing was great! Spent many summers there. About 30 some years ago I brought my Daughter with me fishing Rural Retreat Lake in VA....I had one of my tournament rigs but didn't have anything for her. Stopped at the Kmart in Wytheville and bought a snoopy rod. Dummy me didn't even think about bait for her as I wasn't a bait type. I tied on a small Hula Popper, and cast it out for her on an edge and told her to reel in slowly. Figured that would keep her entertained/not snag. As I was getting my rig ready she screamed and as it was barely light out the entire lake must have heard her.......a bass nailed that Hula Popper....her fist fish was a chunky 12 incher probably a pound or so....on a lure.
My brother worked near Rural Retreat on a rainbow trout farm, probably about 40 years ago. I remember visiting him and that's when I first found out about putting tomato juice in beer. I still do it occasionally, doesn't sound very tasty but it is.
Not a 'lot' but probably part of it.... I forgot to mention that episode to the doc that did the cognitive test two years ago... I did tell him about getting knocked out three times in a football game... but now I realized I also left off the time I blew myself up with a pipe bomb.That might explain a lot.....
Sorry has nothing to do with the Western Auto.... my buddy and I also bought two walkie talkies from there... nice ones but this was back when you had to buy separate crystal inserts for the channels you wanted to use.....
Talegunner
Bearcat
settup6
Single-Sixer
My first job back in the 70’s was at my uncles Western Auto store in western Nebraska. Great time and got paid $1.65 an hour!
coach
Hunter
That sounds like the kind of stuff we would have been buying.
Here is what Wiki says
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Auto.
I am not sure what was reported about the name is true, Wiki also has a pic of a Western Auto in a town near me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Auto.
I am not sure what was reported about the name is true, Wiki also has a pic of a Western Auto in a town near me.
In the little town I grew up in they still have one, only now it’s called Western Ace Auto.
Not a bad little store for a small town. They have a few guns, appliances, TV’s and various other things.
Not a bad little store for a small town. They have a few guns, appliances, TV’s and various other things.
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meister mash
Bearcat
Yep the Chynermans own them both now.
We never had the store in my small town
Closest thing was a coast to coast/later Ace.
That store is still there by finger nails but no longer sells guns.
It's where dad bought me my crossman 760 when I was a kid.
Blackhawk Convertable
Blackhawk
Western Auto didn't have much footing here in Minnesota. But Champion Auto was our favorite place for auto needs. They even had "Car Care Seminar" videos that would air on Saturdays IIRC. The videos were very well made and had everything from general maintenance to engine rebuild. At one time we had every video. Sadly they are also gone.
caryc
Hawkeye
Maybe they "videod" themselves right out of business.
Interesting part of the article in Wikipedia....
"Sometime in the 1940s or 1950s Western Auto started selling rifles and shotguns in its catalogues. As with other chains at the time, such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., Montgomery Ward, and J.C. Penney, Western Auto's firearms were sold under a proprietary brand name. Often called "store brand" firearms, they were produced by reputable name brand manufacturers, such as O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Remington Arms, Savage Arms, Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and High Standard Manufacturing Company. Western Auto firearms sold under the "Revelation" brand name, and were generally models from the brands Savage, Marlin Firearms, or Mossberg.
Other than markings, Revelation models were identical to standard production models. They were the most basic models produced by the various manufacturers, and featured plain birch or walnut stocks. However, metal bluing remained good and nearly all models were provided with iron sights and mounting provisions for scopes. Once valued lower than "name brand" equivalents, store-brand rifles, shotguns, and 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. "
"Sometime in the 1940s or 1950s Western Auto started selling rifles and shotguns in its catalogues. As with other chains at the time, such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., Montgomery Ward, and J.C. Penney, Western Auto's firearms were sold under a proprietary brand name. Often called "store brand" firearms, they were produced by reputable name brand manufacturers, such as O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Remington Arms, Savage Arms, Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and High Standard Manufacturing Company. Western Auto firearms sold under the "Revelation" brand name, and were generally models from the brands Savage, Marlin Firearms, or Mossberg.
Other than markings, Revelation models were identical to standard production models. They were the most basic models produced by the various manufacturers, and featured plain birch or walnut stocks. However, metal bluing remained good and nearly all models were provided with iron sights and mounting provisions for scopes. Once valued lower than "name brand" equivalents, store-brand rifles, shotguns, and 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. "
I'm sure I've told most of this in another thread, but, in 1965 I was looking for a job and went to work in a small Western Auto Store. It did very little business,, I worked 6 days a week for $50 a week. There was me and one other employee and I honestly don't remember ever making a sale. After 2 weeks I was contacted by the assistant mgr at a Montgomery Ware Store and went there for the same $50 per week but only 5 days a week. This was a good store and had a nice sporting goods department which I managed plus the paint department. Worked there for 4 years and was contacted by the owner of the Coast To Coast Store, This was the largest Coast To Coast store in the midwest and had a large sporting goods department and sold lots of guns. I worked there for 4 years before I moved on to work for Maytag Company the rest of my career. While working at the Coast To Coast Store they would allow you to buy firearms at cost. You just couldn't take them out of inventory but had to order them. That was probably one of my favorite jobs, bought some nice guns there.
