Instead, he wants you to buy them from Mr. Tire.

Confused? That’s part of the problem facing Clyde Hampton, known for decades in Columbus simply as Mr. Tire. He’s been selling tires in town for more than 50 years, and in 2000, he opened his own shop on the West Side aptly named Mr. Tire.

But last year, Monro Muffler and Brake bought up the 13 ProCare tire centers in the Columbus area and renamed them with its corporate brand name, also Mr. Tire.

“I got a call from someone saying, ‘My sister went over to your Broad Street store,’” Hampton said. “Well, I don’t have a Broad Street store.”

Hampton said the new Mr. Tire stores in Columbus have confused longtime customers and cost him business. He said he’s received a payment in the mail from someone who went to one of the other Mr. Tires and he keeps a running log of incoming calls to his store from people asking about the Monro-owned shops.

“People will stop at the other locations and think it’s us,” he said. “They’re trying to capitalize on his name.”

Hampton’s lone location is on Harrison Avenue, a stone’s throw from I-70. There’s no doubt it’s an entirely local operation. Just about every available surface is covered in Ohio State paraphernalia – pictures, posters, flags, pennants, murals.

In his office, he proudly displays a never-before-seen photo of Woody Hayes posing in front of a Navy battleship. The picture was a gift from Hayes’s son, Stephen Hayes, who is a former Franklin County Municipal Court judge.

Hampton has a regular booth at the Buckeye Hall of Fame CafÉ, and he sponsors the Wall of Fame at the restaurant, which displays photos of passionate Ohio State fans.

“Everyone in town knows me as Mr. Tire,” he said. His license plates read “Mr. Tire.” His wife’s say “Mrs. Tire.”

But the corporate honchos at Monro aren’t impressed with his folksy local charm. They think their federal trademark rights to the name Mr. Tire, which were obtained in 2006, supersede Hampton’s claim to the name in Ohio.

Hampton is in a battle against a large company with an eye for expansion. Monro has annual revenues in excess of $300 million. Last year, Hampton’s shop did about $3.5 million worth of business.

“They’re trying to muscle us out,” Hampton said.

In fact, they’ve literally made a federal case of it. In June of last year, Monro sent Hampton a cease-and-desist letter notifying him that he had no right to use the name Mr. Tire. Earlier this year, Hampton filed suit against Monro, and then Monro countersued.

Maureen Mulholland, general counsel for Monro, declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, citing company policy. Instead, she deferred to the company’s claim filed in court, which she says speaks for itself.

In that claim, Mulholland argues that Hampton is in violation of federal trademark laws and demands that he stop using the name Mr. Tire and pay monetary damages to Monro.

“The continued use of the Mr. Tire mark by Hampton…infringes upon Monro’s exclusive right to the federally registered Mr. Tire mark and is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistakes or to deceive consumers.”

The Monro brass also denies Hampton’s claim that since he’s been known as Mr. Tire for decades, he’s entitled to the name.

“Hampton’s nickname, likeness, and any alleged trademark,” Monro’s claim reads, “have not acquired any considerable value nor have they become accepted nor recognized by the consuming public as identifying Hampton himself, goods, services, good will, or other professional activities.”

Hampton has amassed a pile of evidence to counter Monro’s claim that he is not “recognized by the consuming public” as Mr. Tire, and in doing so, he hasn’t hesitated to make the most of his years backing the Buckeyes.

In a thick binder in his office, Hampton has copies of letters written by Archie Griffin, Coach Jim Tressel, former Coach John Cooper and ex-Buckeye quarterback Jim Karsatos, along with dozens of clients, business people and community leaders attesting to the fact that he’s always been known as Mr. Tire.

“This is to confirm that I have known and worked with Clyde Hampton, aka Mr. Tire, since the early 1980s,” Griffin wrote. “I seldom call him Clyde. He’s known as Mr. Tire.”

Cooper noted in an e-mail to Hampton: “I met Mr. Clyde Hampton and have known and done business with him for the past 18 years. There is only one Mr. Tire and that is Clyde Hampton.”

Hampton also has numerous news clippings dating back as far as 1979 that refer to him as Mr. Tire.

Although she wouldn’t comment on the ongoing lawsuit, Mulholland did respond to Hampton’s belief that Monro is a bunch of corporate bullies trying to muscle him out of business.

“I can assure that this is not the case,” she said, “and I am confident that the inaccuracy of this claim will be borne out as the facts in the case are developed.”

Neither side seems willing to coexist with the other in Columbus under the same name.

“That is absolutely not going to happen,” Bush said.

The court case is in its early stages and it will be a while before there are any results. Whether Hampton and Bush prevail is yet to be seen. Regardless, they’re ready to fight.

“They thought we’d lay over dead,” Hampton said. “I know we’re in the right.”