Herman knows tires : Herman’s Tire Service delivering quality fast for 50 years
Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008
How long do you think it should take to change all four tires on your car ? One hour ? Two hours ? Three hours ? Longer ? Ask Herman McGarrah the same question, and he’ll tell you 15 minutes. And he’s totally serious.
And if you question how that can be humanly possible, he’d be more than happy to roll up his sleeves and show you himself — even at age 74.
“ He can still change two tires to my one, ” said Rick Hittson, who has worked for Herman’s Tire Service on Arkansas Highway 112 in downtown Cave Springs for seven years. “ He could whup anyone. ”
To not only remain in business, but to continue to thrive for 50 years, as Herman’s Tire Service has, you have to be doing something right. Speed is a gift McGarrah has always had going for him. But he’ll tell you there’s another ingredient that’s key.
“ Teamwork, ” McGarrah said. “ That’s everything. ”
“ I hear these places advertising they’ll get you in and out in one hour, ” he said. “ What the heck are they doing with all their spare time ? I do a whole bunch of tires in that time. I’ve always been fast, but I’ve always focused on quality and tried to give my customer what they really want. When someone drives in here, there’s a team that gets to it. I figure the last thing a customer wants is to be sitting in a waiting room for hours waiting on me to finish. ”
Five decades later, that philosophy still stands up. In February 1958, McGarrah and one-time business partner Zach Bauer opened the business, then called B & M Tire Co., in a rental space in Springdale. The business made its way to McGarrah’s hometown of Cave Springs in 1962 and moved to its current location a few miles west on Arkansas 112 in 1982. McGarrah started the shop recapping — something he refers to as a lost art — more than 40 tires per day. As the years went by and tire technology evolved, people opted to just buy new tires instead. So Herman’s Tire Service rolled with the change and has never looked back.
“ I never imagined I’d be doing this so long, but I got going and was doing pretty good with it, ” McGarrah said. “ I just kept working, and the cars kept coming. It doesn’t seem like it’s been 50 years. Maybe 15, but not 50. ”
Drive by Herman’s Tire Service, and it’s nothing flashy. Sandwiched between the Cave Springs City Hall and another space, there’s a simple garage door and a sign overhead. Inside, the ceiling joists are visible, the cement floors are worn, and stepping up to the sales counter is like turning back the clock several decades. The space is heated by an old wood-burning furnace — which McGarrah jokes actually saves him money because of the cost of gas today. Rather than running a lavish facility with multiple bays, McGarrah has always preferred to focus on the actual job.
And the customers are proof of that. Not only does Herman’s Tire Service draw customers from Cave Springs and neighboring communities, such as Bentonville and Lowell, but from Bella Vista and beyond state lines. Herman’s son, Bob McGarrah, who rejoined the business in 1999, said the shop has regular customers from as far away as Kansas, Okla., and Jane, Mo.
“ There are people who moved away to Texas and still come back to have their tires done here when they’re back in the area, ” Bob McGarrah said. “ And you wouldn’t believe the number of older women who come in. They say they can trust (Herman ) because they know he’s not going to cheat them. ”
That means something to Herman McGarrah.
“ Trust is everything, ” Herman McGarrah said. “ If someone comes in and they don’t need anything done, I’m going to tell them. People come in here with a nail in their tire and say someone else told them it can’t be fixed. I’ve been in this business for 50 years. If I can’t fix a nail hole, then I better take down my sign.
“ I like to work, ” he said. “ I never was lazy. My dad taught me to get up and at it. I’ve had other tire businesses move in right around me, and they’ve come and gone. I must be doing something right. I just know I still love what I do. ”
Having his son overseeing the business these days allows Herman McGarrah to step away now and then to spend time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sometimes he just stops by to watch. And you can bet he’s standing there watching the second hand on his watch like a hawk, just to make sure he’s still the fastest hand around.
Asked if there’s ever been an employee to come through the doors that could change a tire faster than him, McGarrah was quick to answer.
“ Never. I’ve got ’em all beat. They’re all very good at what they do, but I think I’ve still got it. ”
If there’s one person Herman McGarrah gives the most credit to for the success of his business, however, it’s his wife, Betty, who has kept the books and paid the bills all these years. The name on the sign is Herman’s Tire Service, but he said it may as well have been Herman and Betty’s.
From 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. Friday, Herman’s Tire Service will celebrate its 50 th anniversary with drawings, free hot dogs and snacks, and more.
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