When Joe Gallogly started helping part-time at a local automotive shop in Rockville Centre, N.Y., when he was 12 years old, he couldn’t imagine working in the tire industry long-term.
Now, at age 67, Gallogly is the owner of Tire Town Tire Pros, which celebrates its 90th anniversary on April 1.
"Here I am,” he says. “I’m an owner and I think that’s an incredible thing and I’m very proud of it. I learned everything from the ground up. I don’t know much, but everything I learned, I learned it the hard way.”
The dealership - which offers a range of passenger and light truck tires, custom wheels and countless auto services and repairs - didn’t start by selling tires. It was first a small gas and service station.
On April 1, 1936, Frank Kaiser opened an Associated Oil Co. (Flying A) station and later built a repair shop behind it. After primarily operating as a service station, an opportunity to start selling tires sparked an idea for Kaiser.
One day, Uniroyal sent a trainload of tires to a location near Kaiser’s shop and the customer who was supposed to receive the load didn’t show up. The tires, which consisted of only three or four sizes, were sold to Kaiser, who said he would start selling tires to customers and local gas stations. And that’s exactly what he did.
Kaiser, a German immigrant, continued to grow the shop over the years. By 1968, his gas pumps were replaced with tire displays.
Later, the dealership became Tire Town and after many years, the store manager hired Frank Gallogly, Joe’s brother, who later bought the business from Kaiser with a partner, John Brown, in the early-1980s.
After running Tire Town for more than 30 years, Frank passed the dealership on to Joe about 10 years ago. When Joe chose to buy the business from his brother, it was an easy choice.
"I had been running the store since 1988, so I’ve been the face of Tire Town forever.”
Tire Town is staying in the family, as Joe’s oldest son, Joe Gallogly Jr., works as assistant manager during the afternoon and his teenage son, James Gallogly, works part-time on Saturdays.
The dealership, now part of the Tire Pros network, has long been recognized in its community. Tire Town was voted Best Tire Shop in Rockville Center in 2025, won a local Best Oil Change award in 2022 and was a finalist for Best Auto Repair in Long Island in the Long Island Choice Awards.
Joe says the dealership’s strong reputation keeps customers coming back. "We have generations of customers. Some of the customers coming here, I can tell them, ‘I mounted your grandfather’s tires and your great-grandfather’s tires.’ I’ve watched these kids grow up from coming into the store at 10 to getting their (drivers) license to some of their grandkids getting their license.”
The staff of Tire Town Tire Pros also includes three mechanics, three tire alignment techs and a part-time bookkeeper, plus assistant manager, Wazir Ali, who has been with the dealership for 33 years.
Above everything else, Joe says that showing honesty with customers and focusing on quality, convenient service has put Tire Town on the map.
"I bought this business for a reputation,” he says. “At any cost, that is the number one priority over profit. Reputation is everything and so is the ease to do business with.”
To celebrate 90 years in business, Tire Town is running ads and coordinating articles in local newspapers, giving away wine bottles with the store’s logo and is planning to offer free oil changes for some customers.
“For a little guy like me, I’m so proud to say we’ve survived 90 years.”
About the Author
Aden Graves
Associate editor
Aden Graves is MTD's associate editor. A graduate of Kent State (Ohio) University's award-winning School of Media and Journalism, Graves holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and another bachelor's degree in communication studies.