For those of us that turn our own wrenches, we have our favorite places to shop. Maybe it’s based on your car, your preference or your pocketbook… tastes can range from RockAuto and Amazon, to Summit Racing and Jegs, or BimmerWorld and ECStuning. We all have our loyalties.
But for the average Joe there are major families of parts stores: those owned by Advanced Auto (ie: Carquest, WorldPAC, BWP, etc), AutoZone, O’Reillys, NAPA or Ichan (Pepboys, etc) – wait! *WOW* across the US that’s actually a lot of parts places.
Before “internet 2.0” there was a bit of an auto parts desert leaving shade tree mechanics with few shopping options and sub-par aftermarket brands. But as eCommerce grew, so did online parts stores and specialty stores which caught our attention, leaving the traditional brick & mortar stores in the dust. I grew up with “Track Auto” and “Hi-Gear” stores locally (which were eventually swallowed up by AutoZone); and unfortunately the phrase “Trash-Auto” is still tough to get out of my vocabulary. I can’t speak for everyone but I would argue as DIY’ers and Track Junkies, we often overlook these big box stores as an old time “general store” compared to the web.
With the revolution in consumer spending in the last decade, the traditional parts stores were forced to expand their inventory, offerings and reinvent themselves. Pepboys has really gone out on a limb introducing their “speed shop” stores. One of my long time best friends (Kris) has been in the automotive industry for many years and has been working for Pepboys as a manager for quite some time. At family get togethers, we’d often talk about his work and the stores. With my preconceptions I’d never really visited any of his locations. Recently having issues finding a shop that could do both a state inspection and 4-wheel alignment, on a gamble I called Kris and asked if his shop could accommodate. Much to my delight he said it wasn’t a problem and scheduled some lift time with his techs.
The Glen Burnie Pepboys is a retail store and service center, which sits off Richie Highway, nestled between the 695-beltway and MD-97. It’s a bit off the road in an older shopping center so it might be easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
From the outside it looks like any other store, but once inside I was completely taken aback. Rather than wax poetic about the facility, let me take you on a virtual tour of the store so you can understand why I was so impressed…
Walking inside the Glen Burnie Pepboys, a large speed shop display immediately greets you.
A trip down the first aisle for some last minute safety gear (G-Force), tow-straps, DOT-4 brake fluid, VP cans, or Moroso gear? … yea, they got that. I actually bought up the last of the black roll bar padding – sorry folks! More in stock soon 🙂
Need some high quality ARP engine internals? – not a problem! For the muscle car folks in the group, you can even purchase Holley carbs, as well as performance Cams and other “go fast parts.”
Steel braided hoses and -AN fittings, check!
Autometer, Bosch and other makes of gauges – In stock!
Need to get your race tires mounted and balanced? – Where other tire shops say *no*, this Pepboys says Yes! They can also order you Mickey’s, Hoosiers and many other performance brands.
Might as well pick up a spare set of track rims while you’re here. Tons of styles and sizes in stock – and very affordable prices.
A full “nuts & bolts” section (Metric and SAE) that is on par with Tractor Supply, and a huge assortment of Mobil-1 products (Oil, Transfluid, ATF, and more!)
Have a foreign car with special needs? … Pentosin and other brands are also available.
And for “the waxers” all sorts of high end products from Zymol, Griots Garage and Lexol.
There is so much more to see in this store, but by now you should understand why I was surprised by what I found there. The Glen Burnie store is huge compared to most, and not all Pepboys locations are “speed shops.” There are only a smattering of them around the country, and we’re very fortunate to have one here in the DMV. So… if you’re in the neighborhood, take a couple minutes and stop by the shop, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Kris Dauteuil (below) manages the Service department for the Glen Burnie Pepboys, and welcomes GTM members to the shop. Show your GTM membership card (to Kris) to receive a discount on your project and discuss how Pepboys can help get your car track ready. Need tires mounted/balanced? Pre-track inspection? Or something else… this shop is definitely “racer friendly.” If you’d like to reach out to Kris and discuss a project, his contact information is below. Also be sure to use the club phone number 202-630-1770 to build up our rewards for better discounts in the future!
… he hates getting his picture taken, btw – Thanks Kris!
