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History

Our History

In the early 20th century, Detroit was in the midst of an economic boom unrivaled throughout the world. The industrial age was in full swing and people flocked to Detroit for jobs in the city’s factories. One of those people was Harry Chernick, a 26-year-old immigrant plumber who came to Detroit looking for a better future for himself and his family. In 1920, he started a plumbing company in Detroit to support his young family. Harry’s initial vision was broad as he sought to be a wholesaler, retailer, and installer of plumbing and heating fixtures.

1930

By 1930, Harry’s business was so successful that he opened a full-service counter and showroom on the corner of what was Grand River Avenue and Temple Street. Harry had a team of expert salesmen and installers working in commercial and residential buildings throughout the city. At the time, he prominently featured brands like Arcola, which he promoted through the Detroit Free Press as “very economical in installation and upkeep.”


Advance Plumbing survived through the Great Depression and World War Two and continued operating in the City of Detroit as things began to shift. The first half of the century elevated the prominence of both the United States and Detroit in the global economy, but things were beginning to shift and Detroit had already reached its peak.


Harry did not give up, expanding his business into anything and everything related to plumbing, heating, lighting, paint and hardware. He was even working to fulfill orders outside of Detroit as the population shifted out of the city to the suburbs.

Late 1950s and early 1960s

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Lodge Freeway was built, connecting Downtown Detroit to the inner ring suburbs. To make room for the freeway, many properties were taken by the city and demolished. Among those properties was more than three quarters of Advance’s original building. What had originally consisted of two attached buildings with a large showroom and three floors of office space became one smaller building that housed the company’s complete operations. It is that building that many customers remember on the corner of Grand River Avenue and the Lodge Freeway.


Harry Chernick passed away suddenly in 1962, leaving the business to his wife and daughter. His daughter was married to Ronald H. Moss, the man who would become the president of Advance Plumbing and lead the company from the time he was 24 years old until his death in 2012. During this time, Advance Plumbing worked to maintain the city, fighting for survival during Detroit’s downturn while continuing to serve the community.

Late 1980s

Jeffrey Moss, the third generation of the Advance Plumbing family, joined the business in the late 1980s with a vision similar to his grandfather. Jeffrey came with experience from a variety of retailers and understood the importance of a great product selection sold by the best salespeople around. He would often drive past a small plumbing supply store in Walled Lake, Michigan with his high-school sweetheart and eventual wife, Wendy, to show her the store that he knew from a young age that he would one day own.

1990s

In 1990, Jeffrey purchased Franklin Plumbing Supply and turned it into Advance Plumbing’s second location. Just two weeks after the birth of his first son, Jeffrey opened up a decorative plumbing showroom and hit the ground running. Over the next few years, this second location was expanded multiple times to expand the counter, showroom, warehouse, and office to accommodate his growing business.


From the beginning, Jeffrey knew the importance of seeing and feeling products in action, which is why the showroom he built featured working showers, steam units, faucets, and toilets. Jeffrey was one of the first to bring Toto toilets into Michigan, giving him a leg up as toilets were restricted to 1.6 gallons per flush and American companies struggled to keep up. Jeffrey rebuilt Advance Plumbing to be the name in decorative plumbing in Detroit.

2010s

In the 2010s, Jeffrey was joined in the business by his three sons, Joshua, Justin, and Andrew. It was during this time that Ronald Moss passed away and Jeffrey was charged with leading the business as the company’s President during another huge transition: moving from its home of more than 90 years to a new location.

2014

In 2014, Advance Plumbing purchased a 20,000 square foot building in Midtown, roughly a mile from its original location. This building, formerly the home of numerous businesses including Bill’s Body Shop and a grocery store, had been walled off from the world for nearly 50 years. Jeffrey and his sons had a vision of fully renovating this building, restoring its historic design and recommitting to the City of Detroit.

2016

On October 29th, 2016, Advance Plumbing closed its doors in its original location for the last time. In less than 48 hours, the company would open the doors to its new location for the first time. A little less than two years later, the showroom would open its doors for the first time, officially opening Detroit’s first decorative plumbing showroom in decades.


In recognition of the commitment Advance had made to the City of Detroit, the company won numerous awards and grants. To help with the recreation of the façade and renovation of the building, Advance received grants from Midtown Detroit Inc and Motor City Match. Once the showroom opened, awards began to flood in. Among those awards were:



Today, we are a fourth-generation family business that is proud to serve Metro Detroit. As Jeffrey Moss often says, “you have to know where you’ve been to appreciate where you’re going.” Our history makes us who we are, and we carry Harry Chernick’s vision with us every day.