In 1915, near the beginning of the automotive age, Lithuanian immigrant Israel Warshawsky started a scrap metal yard in Chicago that would eventually evolve into the company known as JC Whitney. As demand grew beyond what he could supply with used parts, Warshawsky bought failed auto manufacturers to add new parts to the inventory. The Warshawky Company continued to grow and eventually opened a retail store.
Israel’s son Roy joined the company in 1934 and proposed a nationwide distribution for the company’s catalog, which had been distributed only in the Chicago area. They ran a sixty dollar ad in Popular Mechanics offering a “giant auto parts catalog” for twenty-five cents. Response was huge.
Today the company continues it’s mission to make it easy for consumers to purchase independent aftermarket products.