It all started in the late 1930's with $50, a 1932 Model B Ford with front bumper hanging loosely and Mel Fine, who decided to start his own business. That $50 bill he needed to make his first purchase of inventory was a loan from a very supportive mother-in-law, who at that time probably knew as much about the auto parts business as Mel himself.

Selling from his 1932 Ford truck (in need of some repairs itself), his business began to grow and in 1940, the first ACME store was opened on Hartford's Albany Avenue. Seymour Weingroff, then 17, became the first ACME Auto Person. After serving in World War II, Bob Rosenfield rejoined Mel and the first ACME team was formed.

Having outgrown the small Albany Avenue space, ACME moved during 1948 to a much larger facility on North Main Street, adding the ACME Machine Shop, and in 1959, fuel injection services.

Recognizing the potential for developing business in the areas surrounding Hartford, the company's first branch was opened on New Park Avenue in West Hartford. Through expansion, ACME today covers 20 communities throughout Connecticut.

In 1960 Motive Parts Warehouse opened in West Hartford, occupying just part of a 30,000 square foot building and became a central distribution facility for ACME and other supporting auto parts stores. In May of 2003, Motive Parts Warehouse ceased its operations and Middle Atlantic Warehouse Distributor, Inc., a distribution system with 29 warehouses and one million dollars in inventory, became Acme's primary supplier. This provided Acme with the strengths of coverage and product selection to move ahead successfully and into the future. Tool and Equipment Distributors, a specialty warehouse selling ACME, tool wagon peddlers and other auto parts stores, was acquired in 1972. BEC Auto Parts, a Ford Motorcraft Distributorship, added another dimension to ACME's variety of products and services in 1991. In 2004, Middle Atlantic Warehouse Distributor, Inc. merged with Uni-Select USA. Today, there are over 32 warehouses serving our customers.