Construction is set to begin soon on a new Pep Boys automobile service shop on State Road 54, just blocks from Collier Parkway in Lutz.
The company is planning a 5,500-square-foot service and tire center with six service bays, according to spokeswoman Lizabeth Galantino, and will hire six people.
The land is located on the corner of State Road 54 and Catfish Lake Lane, and is currently owned by Jerry and Linda Newton of Indian Rocks Beach, according to county property records. The Newtons purchased the 1.6 acres of vacant land in 2005 for $875,000.
This would be the area’s first Pep Boys location, complementing the closest one on North Dale Mabry Highway just north of Ehrlich Road.
Pep Boys recently remodeled many of its stores, removing a lot of the sterile garage environment many locations were known for, and replacing them with lounges that include flat-screen televisions, a beverage station, and free high-speed Wi-Fi access.
The Philadelphia-based company, founded in 1921, has nearly 800 locations nationwide.
