World War II looked small from 18,000 feet. But Val always knew how many millions of lives were at stake there.
During one mission over France, Val’s plane lost its No. 3 engine and began diving. The crew did the only thing they could – they bailed out at 10,000 feet.
Fortunately, all eight men floated to safety. Three days later, they were reunited with their outfit. Val never forgets how a nylon angel saved his life.
When Val came home to Danbury after the war, he took a job at his uncles John, Joe and Gus Perry’s tire store on Liberty Street.
It wasn’t long before Val convinced them to sell him their wholesale delivery routes. He called the new business John A. Val Tire and operated it out of his house until he saved enough money to move the operation.
Maybe it wasn’t jumping out of a doomed plane, but it was a leap of faith nonetheless.
"My grandfather started the business right out of the basement of his house (in the late 1940s)," said Val’s grandson, Julian Val Jr. "When he came home and saw there was steak on the table, he knew my grandmother sold tires that day."
Sixty years later, there is a new Val Tire store at 68 Federal Road, just a mile or two away from the Starr Road location where John Val, the war hero, and his son, Julian Val Sr., served greater Danbury for more than 50 years.
"The day I was born, he was out delivering tires," said Val Sr., who now lives in Englewood, Fla., about 90 miles south of Tampa. "But when you have your own business, you never really get a day off.
"When you’re in business for yourself – sick days, personal days, vacation days – you can have them, but you won’t get paid for them," he went on.
"And school vacations? Everybody else went to Candlewood Lake in the summer. Not me. I went to work. But my father was my best friend, so I didn’t mind."
The new business is owned by Julian Val Jr., the third generation of Val men to sell tires, perform alignments and drive sales with a family tradition of customer service.
"Every day, I wake up with butterflies in my stomach," said Val Jr., who lives in New Milford with his wife, Crista, and their two girls, 9-year-old Taylor and 4-year-old Maya. "There aren’t as many butterflies as there used to be, but they’re still there. They don’t go away."
Welcome to the world of small business.
As congressional leaders scurry to iron out the largest financial bailout in U.S. history, the Val family has managed to carve a stronghold in greater Danbury. All the money in the world – even $700 billion – can’t buy a good name.
What’s more, with people holding onto cars longer – Ford, Toyota, Chrysler and Nissan all reported September sales losses over 30% this week – it’s cheaper to perform routine maintenance than to buy a new car.
A lot cheaper.
"I grew up with tires. Our house was next door to the shop when I was growing up," said Val Jr., 39, who is called "JuJu" by his friends. "It’s in my blood."
When Julian Val Jr. was a kid, maybe 12 years old, he was already an expert tire-changer at his father’s store, Val-U Tire, on Starr Road. (Julian Val Sr. sold the business to the Mallory Kotzen Tire Co. in 2002.)
"I grew up in the business, so when I graduated from Danbury High School, I didn’t think of doing anything else," Val Jr. said. "It’s what I know best."
The new Val Tire and Alignment opened on Federal Road, next to Modzelewski’s Towing and Auto Body Works, in August.
"One guy called Levine (Automotive) the other day looking for me," Val Jr. grinned. "Some people don’t know where we are yet, but we’re working on that."
For now, there’s a small sandwich board-style sign in front of Val Tire and Alignment. The rest of the business comes from word of mouth collected over three generations. (Tire Review/Akron)
