Apex® - A retail Innovator and a 100 year old tradition of excellence
From Apex’s inception in 1924, Pilavin expanded the Apex retail businesses to include 16 retail tire and service stores and a chain of department / general merchandise stores. Apex has a long and rich retailing history and the Apex Team is passionate about providing a wide variety of quality merchandise to our customers at great prices. In 1938, as the retail division grew, Al Pilavin had the idea of expanding the retail division of the Apex Companies by adding to the sale and service of tires and related automotive products by expanding into other related and unrelated categories of merchandise. Pilavin also saw the advantage of separating and expanding the retail businesses from the other businesses. As the retail group expanded, he created a Apex’s first retail department / general merchandise store out of the space in the back of one of the manufacturing buildings to sell a wide variety of merchandise including tires and automotive products, appliances, electronics and other goods. As the retail division of the Apex Companies grew, numerous categories of merchandise were added, and Al Pilavin further expanded the retail division by building the original Apex department store on Central Avenue. Eventually the retail division became known as Apex Tire & Supply which was an extension of Apex Tire & Rubber Co., and shortly thereafter became Apex Tire & Appliance and then Apex, Inc. The Apex Companies continued on with a period of rapid growth in the retail divisions - branching out into the sale of electronics, housewares, domestics, jewelry, sporting goods, clothing and many other departments becoming a regional department store chain and a regional tire and service center chain. The winning combination of being one of the first discounters in the United States, providing great service, having a wide breadth of quality merchandise, the introduction of the Apex Card and the dedication of the Apex Professionals involved, made this business grow quickly becoming a tradition. Over time other categories of merchandise were continuously added and the tire and service centers and the retail department stores grew into the Apex retail divisions still headquartered today in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Apex, Apexstores.com, the Apex Tire & Service Center and Apex make up the current retail divisions of the Apex Companies still based out of Rhode Island after 100 years. The retail divisions of Apex still currently operate the original retail store in the Apex Mall located at School Street, Pawtucket, RI.
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For all inquiries, the Apex Companies can be reached at 401-729-7200.