
T.M.
Lyons small-town business - The Express, Sat.,
Feb. 27, 1982
This
article is from 1982, we've grown a lot since
then, but you can read about some of our "roots".
Hidden
away at the intersection of Routes 32 and 611
in Kintnersville, PA, there's a collection of
sheds that comprises the T. M. Lyons Sr., tire
store – a little, small-town business. Pillars
of tires reach up to the roof of his warehouse.
Tire stickers plaster the walls of his garage.
That
little small-town business sells hundreds of tires
each month. Lyons states "I do this volume
of business primarily on the belief that all people
should be treated the way I want to be treated
when I'm in a place of business to make a purchase."
***
"I
have people coming all the way from New York,
Trenton, Hackettstown, South Jersey, you name
it," he states.
***
Although
he prides himself on his low prices. Lyons refuses
to sell the cheapest tire of all ––
"recapped" tires. He said tire companies
will buy used tires, buff the remaining tread
off them and then press a new tread or "cap"
on top of the used tire. A consumer can spot a
recapped tire by looking for a scar on its sidewall.
"The temperature of the mold used to recap
the tire makes all kinds of cracks in the tire."
Lyons said. "That tire's only good for 5,000
to 6,000 miles. The cap will blow."
Lyons
was a heavy equipment operator ...when he decided
to go into business for himself. He started repairing
foreign cars. Then he noticed most of the foreign
cars needed tires. The tire store grew, Lyons
said few people in the Kintnersville area were
selling tires.
People
knew if they came to me they could get a tire
at 8 at night." he said. Lyons' home is next
to his business.
***
Lyons
quoted an old adage regarding the quality of his
business operation – "Try
me, you'll like me." |