Max Paul Bicycle Repair 1905-1915
Moses Tarnapolsky, who later changed his name to Max Paul in 1910, was a skilled coppersmith and applied his trade for a local coppersmith. Max originally set up a small bicycle repair shop named Max Paul Bicycle Repair in Old City Philadelphia. In 1907 he moved his family into the “country” and opened another bicycle repair shop at 7018 Woodland Avenue located in Southwest Philadelphia. It was at this location that Max began the legacy eventually known as Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators.
Lincoln Auto Repair 1915-1930
Early vehicles were manufactured with the radiators mounted on the front of the vehicles. The first radiators were also made of copper, which required skilled crafts persons to repair. Max, with his training as a coppersmith, was well suited to provide services to those in need of radiator repair.
Max was soon unable to keep up with the demand for his services and moved his business to 53rd and Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia, renaming it Lincoln Highway Garage in 1908. With a surge in automobile purchases in the early 1900's, and an equal amount of car accidents and breakdowns, Max moved Lincoln Highway Garage in 1917 to 3633 Walnut Street and again renamed the business, Lincoln Auto Radiator. Originally, Lincoln Auto Radiator specialized in yes, radiator repair. Many types of transportation vehicles were repaired, including municipal vehicles ( fire carriages, horse carriages, etc.). As business expanded, Max intuitively began to explore additional opportunities within the automobile repair industry.
The years after the first World War saw a boom in automobile sales. Max’s reputation as a master mechanic had become legendary in Philadelphia and his business now required offering more services, including dent repair, alignment, painting and upholstery repairs.
In 1925 Max moved to a larger location at 3957 Baltimore Avenue and began offering a variety of collision repair services and the business was renamed Lincoln Auto Body Repair to better reflect their businesses offerings. Max began to assemble the best possible technicians in Philadelphia in response to the increasing service demands. He hired only the top mechanics, engine builders, alignment technicians, painters, upholstery workers, carpenters and sheet metal workers. The only repairs they did not perform at the shop was glass replacement. Fortunately there was a glass company across the street, Sam Purness Glass.
As the roaring 20’s came to an end, business began to slow as the stock market crash of 1929 proved devastating to the country’s economy. Lincoln Auto Body Radiator was affected as well. Max was determined not to lay any employees off during the downturn. In order to accomplish this, there were many weeks, and even months, Max refused to take a paycheck. His noble efforts aside, Max was confronted with mounting bills and was faced with a decision to close the business.
Luckily, Max had trained his sons, Edward and Harry, in the repair business. Edward and Harry combined all their assets and pleaded their father to not abandon the business and it’s employees. Their pleas worked, and Max agreed to move the business to 4738 Market Street and reopen under new management in 1931. The new name was appropriately called Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators.
Known business names and addresses:
1907- 1916- Lincoln Highway Garage originally located at 53rd and Lansdowne & Lancaster Ave.
1917- Lincoln Highway Auto Radiator Company, located at 3633 Walnut Street.
1925-1930- Lincoln Auto Body and Radiator located at 3957 Baltimore Ave.
Paul Bros. Auto Body 1931- present
The Paul brothers injected new life into the business. Harry, who had grown up watching his father repair vehicles since he was 2 years old, also possessed great marketing skills and vision. Even with a downturn in the economy, Harry and Edward initiated an aggressive marketing strategy aimed at the insurance industry. Already well known for their high-level of product quality, the brother’s plans worked in establishing new business through the lean Depression years.
By 1935, Paul Bros. was fully recovered from the devastating effects of the Depression. With production in full gear and business growing, Harry and Edward Paul continued to expand the business through the Depression and War years. When a new location became available 4810 Chestnut Street, the brothers did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to double their production size.
In the early 1940’s the country was pulled into war and in support of the war effort, Paul Bros. converted half of the production area into a machine shop. The machine shop becoming a key producer of airplane parts for the Philadelphia Naval Department. Working 3 shifts round the clock, Paul Bros. was recognized in many circles as an important contributor to the war effort in Philadelphia.
After WWII, Paul Bros. continued their phenomenal growth. Always innovative, the Paul family sought more opportunities to expand their business. Shortly after the war, Harry founded the Delaware Valley Appraisers Association, which fostered growth in the industry through the promotion of fair and honest business principles and ethics.
Harry, who became sole owner with the purchase of brother Edward's share of the business in 1961, introduced his son Max to the business shortly afterward. Young Max had seen how the original business, auto radiator repair, expanded with the automobile becoming mainstream. Looking for further opportunities in the automobile industry, Max began to interview with car manufacturers for potential dealership interests.
In 1968, Harry and Max were approached by Toyota Motor Corporation. Max saw a tremendous opportunity to not only further his collision business, but to introduce a niche automobile agency into the Philadelphia area. In March 1969, Harry and Max introduced Central City Toyota, the first Toyota agency in Philadelphia.
In keeping with the family tradition of excellence, Central City Toyota became a thriving agency. Capitalizing on the gasoline crisis of the mid-1970's, Central City Toyota gained considerable market share due to their introduction of low priced, fuel-efficient vehicles. The import craze of the 1970's positioned Paul Bros. as a leader in import vehicle repair in the Philadelphia area. However, Paul Bros. was now at a crossroads due to tremendous expansion.
Harry and Max implemented innovative production and repair methods to help expedite the transition to the exploding import car collision repair market. But disaster struck in November 30, 1981 as a massive fire destroyed Paul Bros. and Central City Toyota. With tremendous determination, Paul Bros. never missed a beat. Opening up the day after the fire, Paul Bros. completed renovations on their current location at 49th and Chestnut in the spring of 1983. By 1985, Max became involved in the overall operation as his father Harry went into semi-retirement. Sadly in 1991, Paul Bros. mourned the loss of Harry Paul at the age of 78, ending a brilliant era of innovation and advancement.
November 30, 1981 fire at Central City Toyota and Paul Bros. Auto Body.
Known names and business addresses
1931- Paul Bros. Auto Bodies, formerly of Lincoln Auto Radiator 4738-42 Market Street
1932- Paul Bros. Auto Bodies 4738-42 Market Street
1935- Paul Bros. moves to 4810-20 Chestnut Street
