Bob Saint-Evens and wife, Kathleen, sold Safety Tire Service to Jim Reading of Superior Tire in Colusa last month after owning the store since 1971.
Reading and his brother, Dale, took over Dec. 12 and plan to expand the business at 202 E. Sycamore St. in Willows.
The store already carries a variety of passenger and pickup tires, Reading said, and it handles agricultural equipment needs as well.
“We have three service trucks to dispatch out to the farm or any place we need to go,” he said.
He also is adding brake, alignment and lube service at Willows in the future, Reading said. ATV tires are sold at the store, too, along with all lines of farm tires, he added.
The store is a Cooper Tire dealer, Reading said, and an associate dealer for Firestone agriculture tires and Michelin farm tires.
“We can get any make, any kind and any size,” Reading said. “We’ve been in the tire business so long we know a lot of places to call.”
Custom rims, lift and lowering kits also will be sold at Safety Tire in the future, he said.
The Reading family has operated tire and oil businesses since 1975, he said. His son, Nick, runs the Colusa store and will manage the Willows location. His other son, Toby, works at Reading Oil in Colusa.
Reading said he plans to do business locally – buying as many supplies as possible in Willows.
The Readings purchased the 10,000-square-foot building and 5,000 square feet of inventory and equipment from Saint-Evens, and they plan to keep the Safety Tire Service name, Reading said.
It is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. However, staff is on call 24 hours for those with emergencies, he said. Call 682-2138 for after-hours assistance.
Reading said the Willows store was offered to his family and “seemed like a good fit for our operation.”
“We pride ourselves in customer service,” he said. Reading is based at the Colusa shop, but he will be at the Willows store to keep an eye on things.
Two longtime Safety Tire employees remain on the job – Cardell Geary and David D’Agostin – and Peter Garrow of Superior Tire has joined them at Willows.
As for Saint-Evens, he continues to clear out property in storage at the store and drops in to say hello. He said with 40 plus years of stuff a lot of it needs to be liquidated.
He bought the tire company from his father, Bob Sr., who initially purchased it in 1965. However, Saint-Evens’ own retirement is here and he plans to “play a little golf and do jobs around the house,” he said.
“I enjoyed the whole 43 years,” Saint-Evens said. “I’ve been in tires since I was 16.” He added it was a great run, and he made a lot of good friends through the years.
“I hope the new guys do well and the people of Willows give them a chance,” he said. (Tire Review/Akron)
