The company has it has weathered many serious challenges in the 94 years since it was founded, "and 2020 ranks as one of the most difficult." In a press release the company says "the McCarthy family has been committed to maintaining a strong, robust company that can fulfill its responsibilities to its associates and their families, provide top-notch service to its customers, and support the communities where it operates.
"The recent economic environment has been unprecedented. The McCarthy family has constantly monitored every one of its more than 60 locations, moving resources and making adjustments as necessary. In common with many local businesses, the smaller stores have struggled the most with diminished revenues and labor shortages. The Kingston store was particularly hard hit. The McCarthy family carefully considered the best course of action for the store, its teammates, and the entire company as whole."
When the Kingston store, at 520 Pierce Street, closes, its operations will move 2 miles away to the McCarthy Tire Service retail flagship and headquarters at 340 Kidder Street in Wilkes-Barre. The store will be open through Friday, Oct. 2, and the move will be effective Oct. 5, 2020. All customer records will be transferred to the Wilkes-Barre store.
“Closing our Kingston location was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make,” says John McCarthy Jr., president of McCarthy Tire Service. “This was the second store in our company. My father opened it in 1978, and it was where most of us in the family had our first training in the tire business.
“However, our number one goal has always been to give our customers the very best service. The Kingston team has faced some insurmountable challenges these last few months. In order to maintain our commitment to our customers, we have decided to close the store and merge the team into our Wilkes-Barre automotive center.”
Manager Darryl Givens will join McCarthy Tire’s commercial location in Dickson City, Pa., as the assistant manager. Assistant retail manager Herb Tietje and the automotive technicians will move to the Wilkes-Barre location’s retail department, bringing that team up to full strength. McCarthy Tire plans to transfer the tire and service equipment to Wilkes-Barre as well.
