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The year after the stock market crash that began the Great Depression, few could afford to buy cars. Like most other businesses, the Great Depression hit auto sales hard, and many dealerships had to declare bankruptcy. Reed Brothers had to rely heavily on its service department to make ends meet, but the dealership survived through these lean times.
In 1930, Reed Brothers added the Plymouth line. The first Plymouth franchises (starting in 1928) were only available to Chrysler dealerships, but in 1930 they became available to Dodge and DeSoto dealers as well. With the addition of the Plymouth brand, Reed Brothers Dodge became Reed Brothers Dodge-Plymouth.
By the early 1930s Plymouth was among the top three highest-selling car brands in the nation alongside Ford and Chevrolet. In fact, Plymouth was the reason that Chrysler was able to survive the 1930s at all. Because Plymouths stayed at a low price throughout the lean times of the Depression, Chrysler was able to use their sales to pull through the economic downturn.
Below: Salesman Raleigh Chinn's business card, reflecting the addition of the Plymouth line after 1930.
Soon afterward, the dealership added Dodge Job-Rated trucks, a specialty-built line that ran from 1939-1947 and focused at getting a buyer a customized truck that fit the job he needed it for.
(Sentinel ad from 1940)
Montgomery County Sentinel, February 14, 1935, advertising their Auto Body and Fender Repairing shop.
Apparently, living in the countryside of Montgomery County could be expensive. Gas prices reflected the remoteness of county life.
The companion article to the the ad at top left, which appeared in the Montgomery County Sentinel, July 29, 1932, claims Reed and Perry refused to pass the gouging prices on to their customers:
"These two progressive business institutions announce that they are selling gasoline at D.C. prices, which is new to these two towns. For a long time, these communities have been discriminated against in that other sections have been able to buy gas at lower prices. This even though the gasoline companies maintain gas tanks right in these localities and have little haul to reach filling stations. The reduction in prices announced will be absorbed entirely by the local firm. They are receiving no assistance. Both Edgar Reed of Reed Brothers and O.H. Perry of the Rockville Motor Company state that they have exerted every possible effort to have the discrepancies righted to no avail, however, and they are meeting the condition with distinct loss to themselves."
Reed Brothers advertised to its youngest customers-- high school graduates--in the local Montgomery County High School's yearbook, called the Rocket (this ad is from 1940).
With the surge in automobile purchases that had occurred throughout the early 1900’s, and an equal number of car accidents and breakdowns, Reed Brothers began offering collision repair services.
(From the Sentinel):
“Reed Brothers Dodge and Plymouth dealers of Rockville have inaugurated a new department of auto body and fender repairing under the direction of E.J. Sherman, who has had 20 years of experience along this line. Edgar Reed pointed out that this new department will enable automobile owners to get a satisfactory and economical service in Rockville, whereas, they have in the past been obliged to go to Washington or Baltimore for such work”.
Reed Brothers celebrated its 20th anniversary, which coincided with the Montgomery County Sentinel's 80th anniversary in 1935.
Gulf Gas Station Remodel, 1939
Though the Depression years had been lean, Reed Brothers was still able to complete another extensive remodel, incorporating a brand-new version of its Gulf service station, along with newly painted offices and redecorated exterior of the building, reflecting a distinctly Art Deco style.
Below, views of the newly-canopied full-service Gulf gas station at Reed Brothers, taken from different sides of the intersection of Veirs Mill and the Pike. A closer look reveals the price of gasoline as 15 cents a gallon (and still advertising "D.C. Prices"). In addition to the Gulf signage there is a small, barely visible sign below that promotes “Clean Rest Rooms"-- Gulf was the first oil company to promote public restrooms as a customer benefit. Professional service was highly valued in the first half of the 20th century, so it was common for the station attendants to wear a company cap and uniform, as shown below.
Silver Anniversary, 1940
The following year, Reed Brothers celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the founding of their automobile business. Presented by the Dodge Company to Edgar and Lewis Reed, co-partners in the business, the silver scroll displays the following inscription:
"Know all men by these presents that Reed Brothers has, for 25 years remained in continuous business association with Dodge, in recognition whereof we have caused to be issued this 25th Anniversary token."
New Construction
Only a few years after the gas station remodel, the dealership was doing well enough to finance the construction of a new Showroom, Parts, and Service Department, completed in 1941. At that time, about eight new cars and trucks were being sold each month, along with a number of used car sales. As had been the custom for years in the automobile business, purchases were sometimes initiated at a prospect’s home or job site, rather than solely at the dealership. Lewis Reed allotted specific sales territory to his salesmen in four different directions from the dealership's home base. The salesmen spent all day in the outlying areas because the farmers in Poolesville, Rockville, Barnesville, and Spencerville had no time to come into town to look around a showroom. Three of the four salesmen at the time were Francis O. Day, Raleigh S. Chinn, and Benjamin Thompson.
The new building (shown below) formally opened on Saturday, July 5, 1941 and housed from 35-40 cars. The view is from the corner of Rockville Pike & Dodge Street, at the the back of the triangle-shaped property.
How Dodge Street Got Its Name
Formerly named “Cadiz” on the 1924 Rockville Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, the connector street behind the dealership’s original location was renamed by the State of Maryland following the dealership’s 1941 expansion. There was a possibility the street might have been named "Reed," but Lewis Reed joked that if the state wanted to name a street after him, that street needed to be longer! The state named it "Dodge Street" after the dealership instead.
Dodge Street today is one of the shortest roads in the State of Maryland, running between the Rockville Pike (at Richard Montgomery High School) and Veirs Mill Road, a distance of only 250 feet.
Sanborn map views (top) from 1924 and 1949 show the road's name change from Cadiz to Dodge and reflect the significant expansion of the business on the triangle lot. Above: the brand-new showroom built in 1941 facing Dodge St. at Rockville Pike, and the same view today, now Veteran's Park.
On the Homefront
Once the United States entered World War II in late 1941, Reed Brothers Dodge had almost no new cars to sell for three and a half years. Empty showrooms were a problem. Manufacturers halted car production and many dealers went bankrupt. Those that survived relied on their service and parts departments to fix the cars people couldn’t replace. But maintenance was also a problem because tires and parts were rationed. Strict price ceilings governed used car sales, and used cars were hard to find anyway because people could not afford to give them up.
Always the entrepreneur, Lewis Reed converted his car showroom into a display room and sold GE washing machines, Westinghouse radios, and other large appliances to bridge the gap.
Americans who owned cars in the 1940s were also limited to the amount of gasoline they could buy due to rationing during World War II. Starting in early 1942, gasoline was deemed a precious commodity and, due to its limited supply, was needed to fuel planes, tanks, Jeeps, and boats for the war effort.
Upon approval of the Rockville Rationing Board, Reed Brothers' Gulf Gasoline Station reserved one pump exclusively for the use of doctors, nurses, ambulances, fire equipment and police cars. The program continued until August 18, 1945.
July 25, 1946 advertisement in the Sentinel for freeze units at Reed Brothers.
Sentinel, January 11, 1945
This Reed Brothers Dodge & Plymouth Service Invoice is dated June 28, 1944. $5.00 labor and 90 cents parts for a total of $5.90. The dealership’s address at the time was 600 East Montgomery Avenue Rockville. H.L. England’s name is on the invoice and his car was a 1941 Dodge Coupe.
Harrison L. England was active in land development of older Rockville, including Lincoln Park and Croydon Park. He was born in the building once known as Hungerford Tavern on N. Washington Street and operated a business under the name of Suburban Properties. His father was John G. England, the first mayor of Rockville.
The 1940s
This print ad from Reed Brothers placed in the September 30, 1943 issue of the Montgomery County Sentinel advertises their appointment as official Hudson service headquarters. The ad also takes us back to the patriotic era of World War II. In the center of the ad is, "Buy U.S. War Savings Stamps and Bonds", reminding Americans of their duty to protect their country's freedom, and encouraged them to support the war effort by buying savings bonds and stamps.
Glass Shop Addition, 1947
As business expanded, Reed Brothers began to explore additional opportunities within the automobile repair industry. In 1947, Reed Brothers added a separately maintained glass shop in their service department which was equipped to replace all types of automobile glass. The glass installations were done by an experienced glazier who had enough work to keep him busy full-time. It eliminated a good deal of the confusion and overlapping which sometimes occurred when glass orders were mixed in with the usual repair work. A separate work area was set up for the glazier and he always had an adequate supply of glass in boxes to be cut down to the needs of any job, ground and polished. In addition to auto replacements, glass was also cut for mirrors and tabletops.
New windshield design innovations in the 1940s were driven by safety concerns. Reed Brothers Dodge was the First in Rockville to Offer Complete “Safety Glass” installation.
The November 1951 issue of N.A.D.A. (National Automobile Dealers Association) Magazine pictured here highlights a special article in the Service section on Reed Brothers Dodge Glass Shop.
Below: advertisement in the October 23, 1947 Sentinel for the glass shop.
N.A.D.A. Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 13 , November, 1951.
1940s Personnel
Reed Brothers lost eight employees to the draft during World War II, 1941-1945. One former employee, Philip Frank, a member of the Air Corps, was in killed in combat in the South Pacific.
Other personnel changes related to the war:
Raleigh S. Chinn of Rockville (Salesman) who started with Reed Brothers in 1920, resigned in 1942 due to lack of automobiles to sell.
Edward R. Brosius of Barnesville (Salesman) started with the company in 1938. He, too, resigned in 1942 when cars were unavailable.
Guy Merry of Rockville started in 1937 as a mechanic. He entered the armed forces in World War II and served for three years. When he was released, he returned to Reed Brothers.
John Burdette of Gaithersburg (gas station attendant) started in 1940, worked for about one year, and then entered the armed services. He served four years during World War II and returned to his old job at Reed Brothers when he was released.
Richard C. Burdette, also a mechanic, started in 1941 but left to enter the service. He served two years and then returned to Reed Brothers.
At the time this photo was taken in 1946, Reed Brothers had in their employ eight veterans of World War II.
Also pictured, at left: Mildred Stang of the parts department and Evelyn Norris, clerk.
Marvin Riggs Shultz, Sr, Gulf Gas Station Manager, started at Reed Brothers in 1941. In 1965, he became a new car salesman. He stayed with the company for 43 years and holds the distinction of being the longest-tenured employee in Reed Brothers Dodge history, from 1941-1984.
Ernest Lee Gartner (pictured), who married Lewis Reed’s daughter, Mary Jane, joined the business in 1949.
Reed Brothers Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary, 1945
”The name REED BROTHERS has become to the automobile public what the name “Sterling” is to silver.”
After the end of World War II, the car boom came, and the automobile assembly lines were back in action. The first car to arrive after the war was the 1946 Dodge, which sold for about $800.
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