What was the Speed Shop that said it all for you?

As a teen growning up in Louisville, Ky. in the 50's and 60's, there were several local Speed Shops in the local area. Clary's, Houchen's, Carter's, come to mind. But for me Clary's was the definitive speed shop. After I got my driver's license in the 60's, I'd spend at least one day a week going over there and checking out the used speed equipment(because I couldn't afford new) shelf. That place will always be embedded in my brain. Let's hear about your favorite shop.

 

Eddie's Speed Shop, Fresno CA.....1960's

 

Doug's Racing Stables Puyallup,WA 1960's

 

Blair's, in Pasadena, opened in late '45 on Arroyo Parkway, later moved to Foothill and Daisy, where it remains today...first went there to buy Drag News in '57, later worked there....not the oldest speed shop, but one of the best, in my book ('course I am sort of prejudiced!)

 

Probably a good thing there weren't any speed shops near me when i was younger, couldn't have afforded it anyway. SW Wisconsin did not have any shops that I knew of.

 

Speed City.... Kenosha, Wi.

 

Joe Reath in Long beach, CA

 

Hollywood Speed Shop, Skippy's Speed Shop, Redford Speed, And of course Gratiot Auto Supply.

 

Hollywood speed shop, Dearborn, Mi. and Gratiot Speed shop.

 

Arrow or Ronnie's in KC and Independence, MO, and then Dale Wilch's used parts emporium out in KC, KS. Lots of Saturday's burned at those joints!

 

Racing Parts and Machine, Towson, Md. (Baltimore)

 

BOB'S SPEED SHOP...Mobile, Al.....opened in 1966 and is still open 6 days a week...he's 79 years old, still opens and closes it every day. I'mhis 2nd longest customer and my cousin was his first and we both still buy our parts from him.

 

Gundermans Speed Shop in Indy.
Hawkins in Richmond Indiana.
Those were about our only choices.

 

Tognotti's Speed Shop in Sacramento

 

Service Center. Saviers Rd. Oxnard California. In the 60's and 70's

 

Kerrisdale Speed.

 

The "Super Shops" speed shop in spokane valley, Wa. Been closed a lot of years now though.

 

When I graduated high school in '80 I moved to Phoenix, Az in my Model A pickup. Seems insane now, but perfectly natural then. Anyway, I met lots of nice guys and saw lots of cool cars, but the speed shop that I would've given anything to be part of was Loper's on Indian School Road. They had an honest-to-gawd funny car (driven by Tripp Shumake) right there on the floor, and lots of neat stuff on the walls and in display cases that I couldn't hope to afford. I tried to talk to one of the counter guys there, hoping to be treated like a human being, only to find out Loper's employed the biggest assholes they could find. But still, it was Loper's...

 

Bell & Gaines in Modesto...still in business and I still go there.

 

Service Center on Sepulveda in Van Nuys. Used to drop in on my way to the greatest cruising in the World every Wednesday night. Knowledgeable racers on the counter and a used parts counter to boot. Many hours spent drooling and wishing.

 

Brougher's Speed Shop in Pittsburgh Pa. It has been there forever and in the mid 70's held an auction to clean out some of the "old" stuff that was stashed in their attic. I wish I had more money that day but still left with a trunk and back seat full of stuff that I wish I still had today. Not many people were into 50's stuff in the 70's so I got some great deals.

Don

 

Bought my first hot rod parts from Blair's in '62...Left a lot of my paychecks there through the late '60s. Always friendly and fun to visit.

 

Glen Porter at the Steering Wheel in North Bay Ontario.

 

Gratiot Auto Supply, Pontiac Michigan.

 

Ted Kessler's down some back street in Buffalo, NY. Bought a set of JE pistons from him to put together a 324" Olds in the early winter of 1964. Still running that engine with those very same pistons in a Grabowski inspired T-Bucket.

 

Summit racing. Shopped there when it was the size of a 7-11 and no catalog.

 

#3 for Blair's. Many of my very hard earned dollars ended up there. Don was always fair and the counter guys knew their stuff.

 

Ben Pilla - Delran, NJ

K&G Northeast Philly, Pa

 

Vic Hubbard Speed and Marine moved to Hayward, CA, in 1976. Been buying parts from them ever since. Al Hubbard machined my first sbc. I'll never forget it. I pulled up to his shop on Meekland Blvd, Hayward. The bare sbc engine was in the back of my '55 Chevy wgn. Al grabbed it with his bare hands, and walked into his machine shop with it. WOW!

 

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