Working from his home in West Philadelphia, Max first began repairing bicycles. Then, when one of his neighbors had an accident with his new Ford Model A, Max was able to repair the radiator and get the vehicle back on the road.

Max soon became well known in the city as an expert in radiator repair. Unable to keep up with the demand for his services, Max founded Lincoln Auto Body Repair in 1908. The original shop was located at 3925 Baltimore Avenue in the University City section of Philadelphia. The shop was opened to accommodate all forms of transportation, including horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, scooters and fire engines.

Meanwhile, Paul Bros. was gaining the reputation as a premier "transportation repair facility" in the city. By the 1920's, however, Lincoln Auto Body Radiator was repairing more automobiles and less non-motorized forms of transportation. Realizing that automobile collision repair would soon require specialists in areas such as wood workers, painting, frame repair, upholstery, top repair and alignments, Max Paul moved his shop to a larger location on Market Street, between 46th and 47th Streets. By the end of the 1920's, Lincoln Auto Body Repair. employed over 40 of the best woodworkers, painters, upholsters and mechanics in Philadelphia. America was in the grips of the Great Depression in the 1930's. In 1920, Max and his family resided at 191 Front Street, Darby, PA.

By the late 1920's, Max's sons Harry Paul and Edward Paul joined the business and became involved in the daily operations. In the 1930's, Max renamed the company Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators, Inc. to reflect his growing automobile collision business.

As the roaring 20's came to an end, business began to slow as the stock market crash of 1929 proved devastating to the country's economy. Lincoln Auto Body Radiator was affected as well. Max was determined not to lay any employees off during the downturn. In order to accomplish this, there were many weeks, and even months, Max refused to take a paycheck. His noble efforts aside, Max was confronted with mounting bills and was faced with a decision to close the business.

Luckily, Max had trained his sons, Edward and Harry, in the repair business. Edward and Harry combined all their assets and begged their father to not abondon the business and it's employees. The plot worked, and Max agreed to move the business to 4738 Market Street and reopen under new management in 1931. The new name was appropriately called Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators.

The Paul brothers injected new life into the business. Harry, who had grown up watching his father repair vehicles since he was 2 years old, also possessed great marketing skills and vision. Even with a downturn in the economy, Harry and Edward initated an aggressive marketing strategy aimed at the insurance industry. Already well known for their high-level of product quality, the brothers plans worked in establishing new business through the lean Depression years.

By 1935, Paul Bros. was fully recovered from the devastating effects of the Depression. With production in full gear and business growing, Harry and Edward Paul continued to expand the business through the Depression and War years. When a new location became available 4810 Chestnut Street, the brothers did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to double their production size.

Max was known as a fine dresser and shrewd businessman who loved a fine automobile. Suddenly on November 19, 1938, Max died as he was going to attend a football game at Franklin Field by the University of Pennsylvania.

Known Addresses:

The birth of his son Harry was documented as 309 Washington Avenue:

404 N. 8th Street
191 Front Street, Darby, PA
309 Washington Avenue
3433 Walnut Street
6136 Pine Street
7018 Woodland Avenue- Max Paul Bicycles