Plaza Tire Service is celebrating 50 years in business throughout 2013 with several special events scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.
All 56 stores will be offering special sales and rebates on Falken, Michelin, Firestone and Dick Cepek tires to thank customers for their support over the past 50 years. Several other events will effect individual locations as well.
Plaza Tire Service kicked off its golden anniversary year by replacing its flagship store that it has occupied since first opening in Cape Girardeau, Mo. in 1963. In May, a newly built store on the opposite side of the same block opened as the new flagship store.
In addition, Plaza Tire Service purchased five Ewers Tire locations earlier this year; two in Jefferson City, Mo., two in Columbia, Mo. and one in Mexico, Mo. The new stores brought Plaza Tire Service’s total store count to 56. The company already had one location in Columbia, Mo. and another location in nearby Fulton, Mo.
Finally, Plaza Tire Service is currently constructing a second store in St. Peters, Mo. (Cave Springs). The 57th Plaza Tire Service is scheduled to open this summer. It will be the second Plaza Tire Service in St. Peters and the seventh in St. Charles County. Two other stores operate in St. Charles, two in O’Fallon, one in Lake St. Louis and one in St. Peters.
Plaza Tire Service was established in 1963 by Vernon “Pee Wee” Rhodes. Its first location opened on William Street in Cape Girardeau as Plaza Car Wash, a hand-operated car wash. The company expanded to provide tire services in addition to washing cars. Eventually, the company began selling and changing tires along the sidewalk outside the carwash.
Local regulations ended this practice, and the company chose to exclusively provide tire and automotive services from that point on.
Plaza Tire Service is 15th on the Modern Tire Dealer 100 list. For recent news on the dealership, see:
Plaza will wave its flagship on April 29
