About Us

Ragtops was started in a gas station in 1980 with three cars that Ty Houck brought with him from Maryland….and he still has them! Along with the brothers Loving, Frank and Graham, he bought the corner of Lakeview and Olive (now the site of The Esperante) that housed the oldest gas station in Palm Beach County, Tedders. Changing the name to Tyler's, he launched Ragtops shortly thereafter, and 42 years later, it has landed in Lake Worth Beach at the corner of 7th Avenue North and Dixie Highway (US1)….and I semi-promise, this is the last move!

In 1988 Ragtops moved into and converted an old gas station again that was owned by Jerry McCoy, of McCoy Toyota. One year later, he asked if we wanted to rent the first floor only of the historic three story building at 2119 Dixie. And that is when Ragtops exploded! We eventually took over the entire building, built a memory lane, a soda bar, a drive-in theatre, and a simulated stock exchange on the top floor. We discovered a whole new world of private and corporate events and started hosting up to 120 of them a year, spanning International clients and major American corporations! (Thank you to The Breakers for kick starting it!) and all of this before the Internet changed forever the way the World did business.

Ragtops became a destination unto itself, and at one time we had a full time docent to give tours to the over 100 people per day who came to visit, look at and actually buy cars! As time went by, personal and business things changed, and we started our downsizing. First we moved across the street to Club LaSalle, still hosting events and selling cars, then we moved to two small buildings. And now we have moved, remember I said for the last time !) into our current location!

We are open, feel free to contact Ty. We are in the event business for sure, information and available dates will be in the very capable hands of Kirkland Events, and will continue to buy and sell great Antique Automobiles! The Gift Garage will offer all kinds of apparel, American made neon, and memorabilia, and the Museum can be enjoyed by people of all ages! We are always a work in progress, so come and enjoy the ever changing scenery!

Thank you for your continued support, and we promise you will enjoy your Ragtops Experience!