Arthur Taubman

Arthur Taubman (1901 Astoria, New York - March 15, 1994, Boca Raton, Florida) was an American businessman, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.

He died in 1994 at his home in Boca Raton, Florida, on March 15, 1994. "He is survived by his wife, the former Grace Ann Weber; a son, Nicholas F. Taubman, of Roanoke; a daughter, Stephanie Low of Manhattan, three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter."

The Advance Auto Parts continued to grow after World War II, and opened 54 stores. Many of the stores also operated service bays, and sold lawnmowers and seat covers in addition to the auto parts. In 1969 he retired and his son, Nicholas F. Taubman, took control.

He was raised in Astoria, New York, on the Lower East Side. He left school at the age of 13 and worked as a department store stock boy to provide for his family of Austrian-Hungarian immigrants. While still a teenager, Arthur Taubman enlisted in the US Navy during World War I. He worked with one of his brothers selling auto parts headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The chain operated stores as far north as Boston and as far south as Washington, DC. However, the Great Depression wiped out the family's holdings. In 1932 he heard of a three store auto parts company in Roanoke, Virginia that was for sale. "In order to help him raise the down payment to buy the chain, his wife Grace offered her wedding ring, which he then pawned along with his own Masonic ring." The company, purchased in April 1932 from the Pep Boys, became Advance Auto Parts.