Davis Tire Specializes and Expands

Matt Davis’ tire career began when he was 14. He had to make his mom a promise that he would keep his grades up if she allowed him to work after school.

He kept his end of the deal and every afternoon he’d hop off the school bus to go to work at the small, one-bay shop.

He worked there all through high school and ultimately bought the struggling business. It was a small start to what Davis and his wife Ryan have grown into Davis Tire Co.

That first store moved a couple times and eventually relocated to Rincon, Ga., a small town outside of Savannah. Steady growth led to three expansions, 10 service bays and more than $4 million a year in annual sales. With no more room to grow, the Davises in October opened their second location, a 20,000 square-foot store with 10 more bays in nearby Springfield, Ga.

Ryan said it took about two years to secure the property and the city permits to build the new location.

“It was a little bit of a struggle,” says Matt. “They could not wrap their head around what we’re telling them and what we wanted.”

Leaders couldn’t picture a tire dealership that looked like what the Davises were pitching. But once they saw the architectural drawings, “they couldn’t believe it. They gave us their blessing and we started building.”

The store features giant windows and glass doors that provide motorists with an easy view into the store. Once in the showroom, there are windows that give visibility to the offices too, so customers “see an owner or a manager there working,” says Matt.

The store has high ceilings and modern, comfortable furnishings and features. Phone chargers are built into the lounge chairs.

“Do we need that?" he asks. "No. Nobody does. But I want you to sit and wait on your car. If your phone died, I don’t want you getting antsy."

 Customers also have access to free soda, coffee and popcorn while they wait.

“The bigger it is, the brighter it is - it’s going to catch your eye.”

In the first two weeks the store was open, the Davises were planning for a soft opening. But they were met with a steady stream of customers. A Saturday mid-day grand opening event attracted hundreds of people.

Davis Tire covers all parts of the passenger and light truck tire business, but it specializes in lift kits, custom wheels and accessories. “If it bolts on, we do it.”

That covers a lot of territory, including toolboxes, steps, brush guards, deck systems and lift kits, plus wheels and tires.

And while many tire dealers have stopped carrying a large inventory of wheels, Davis Tire has done the reverse. He knows if he has it in stock, he can sell it.

Another unique feature of the new Davis Tire store is what looks like a typical conference room. But the large computer screen at the front of the room is used with the vehicle visualizer Davis Tire utilizes. A salesperson will bring a customer into the conference room and walk through the process of selecting a lift kit, wheels and tires for a vehicle.

The tool allows the customer to select the specific make, model, trim level and color of the vehicle so the customer can see exactly what the upfitted vehicle would look like with any accessory.

“It’s been a big, big game changer for us,” says Matt, who adds that the company installs at least one lift kit a day, if not two.

There are other custom projects, too. Another customer picked up her Bronco with its new, custom hard top — and a lift kit with TIS wheels and new tires. “We try to sell them on that line (of wheels) first because they are a branding partner of ours.”

And while Davis Tire carries and sells a variety of tire brands, there are only three tires on display in the front showroom — all from the collaboration between TIS and the Hercules brand from American Tire Distributors. (The TIS RT1, TT1 and UT1 are on display and the design of the RT1 tire’s tread serves as the backdrop on the wall.)

“We’re stocking wheels. We’re stocking tires. We’re stocking lift kits because I want impulse buying. What I mean by that is I don’t want to give the customer time to shop. I need the customer to come in, show them this (visualizer) and (respond), 'That’s what I want, right there.’”

It takes five minutes to turn what the customer sees on the visualizer into a sales ticket.

Davis Tire has chosen to focus heavily on these custom projects. It’s a mindset, but it’s also a way to look at profitability, says Matt.

“There are two ways of looking at it. If I sell you wheels, what else are you buying? Tires. If I sell you a lift kit, what else are you buying? Wheels and tires, because (with) a lot of lift kits you can’t run factory wheels. You have to understand what can make more money. The wheels are going to sell themselves.”