Tireworks Tire Pros, located at 1001 Buckler, opened in Pampa last year, despite the rest of the world shutting down amid a global pandemic.
“It was said as a joke originally, but if you look it’s true now, we couldn’t have picked a worse time in 100 years to open a store,” sales manager Kris Bridwell said. “That being said. It has really been a great year. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t concerns opening doors with the pandemic going on.”
Opening in April 2020 and being unable to be involved in the community presented it’s own set of challenges, as well.
“It was a little concerning,” Bridwell said. “But the city of Pampa and the surrounding area has been great to us. Our numbers, to be honest, blew our minds. We had a great first year all things considered.”
The Pampa location is the fourth store Tireworks has opened, with the other three being in Hereford, Muleshoe and Farwell.
“The two owners, Philip and Glenn Kahlich, bought the business from their dad several years ago,” Bridwell said. “Their dad started the business 25 years ago in Hereford. He grew up in Hereford and opened the first store there.
“That (smaller, rural communities) was the idea behind expansion each time. We want to get into a good community, but really an ag-based area. That’s something we specialize in.”
Unlike many niche tire businesses, Tireworks’ service isn’t limited to tire retail.
“We’re very heavily service-oriented,” Bridwell said. “Whether that’s tire service, vehicle maintenance, etc. Many places only deal with passenger vehicles. We get more into the commercial side with truck traffic, truck tires, truck maintenance. We do alignments and front-end work. We will pretty much do everything on any vehicle other than engine/transmission work.”
Tireworks sells tires for just about any type of wheeled vehicle.
“I’ve been here three years now,” Bridwell said. “I’ve seen everything from a small tire on an elderly person’s walker and I’ve seen tires that wouldn’t fit in this room on pieces of construction/farm equipment.”
When fully staffed, Tireworks Tire Pros has between 12 to 15 on staff.
Tireworks Tire Pros is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. They do have 24-hour roadside assistance.
For more information, visit their Facebook page or call 806-261-3300.
Bridwell closed with thanking the Pampa community for supporting Tireworks Tire Pros in a year where many businesses nationwide had to close.
“If we could get anything out into the public, it’s how much we appreciate them,” Bridwell said. “This was a crazy year. For us to come in here the way that we did at the time that we did in this store. For the community to support this location the way they have, it’s been a blessing.”
