By Bill Petzold
Editor
CARO — Drive by Stephens’ Tire, 238 S. State St. in downtown Caro, and you’re likely to see all manner of vehicles parked in the lot waiting for tire service: cars, trucks, tractors — even school buses.
A lot of businesses that populated Caro’s main drag in 1981 when Randy Stephens took over as owner of Stephens’ Tire have long since closed their doors or moved out of town. While the paint on the facade of Stephens’ Tire shows the passage of time, the building still houses a thriving business that employs four full-time employees who have plenty of work to do.
That’s why after 33 years as one of Tuscola County’s premier tire sales and service experts, Randy Stephens is having a hard time saying goodbye. He said he’ll turn 60 on December 20, and he plans on “officially” retiring December 31.
So what’s next for a man who has been married to his wife Carol for 40 years but has spent nearly 46 years in a tire shop?
“That’s a good question,” Stephens said, laughing. “I’m not a hunter. I’ve always worked 55 hours a week year round every week, and I don’t have a lot of hobbies — but I’m going to have to find some. We’re going to Arizona. I bought a place in Arizona, so for the winter we’re going to stay there, but we’re coming back here. I mean, this is my town, I was born and raised here, my mom’s in a nursing home out here so I’m not leaving here.”
Stephens graduated from Caro High School in 1973, but he’d already been working in the tire business since he was 14.
“I was 14, so it would have been right about 1969,” Stephens said. “We’ve always been tires, tires, tires and more tires. These cars this day and age are so much more — like you hear that horn going off? (Randy gestures to an employee working on a Chevy Impala in the shop bay) — he’s setting the sensors. You have to tell the computer where the tires are now. In the old days you needed probably about eight different sizes to cover everything that was being made. Now you could have 40 sizes and not even come close; it’s really changed.
“I bought this when I was 27, which is pretty young, and we might not look like it, but we sell a lot of tires here. We’re kinding of getting over the hump now. That first snow, for the next three weeks (our sales) just went nuts. Now we’re finally as of yesterday starting to slow down, which is common. The fall is your big time of the year. We do ‘em all, it doesn’t matter what size tire it is we do it. We do farm, we do the Caro school buses.”
Stephens bought the business from Wayne “Lefty” Raymond on October 1, 1981, the same month he and Carol welcomed their daughter Amy into the world. Amy currently resides in Reading, Massachussets with her husband, Rajay, and Randy and Carol’s son Chad lives in Silver Springs, Maryland.
The couple plan on traveling and doing all the things they never could while Randy was busy running the business.
As for local tire customers, Stephens said they will be in good hands as Randy’s nephew Adam Fetting takes over as owner of Stephens’ Tire. Adam and wife Kim live in Caro and have four children: Morgan, Trevor, Coby and Hannah. Stephens said that Adam worked for him through high school and afterward until Adam went into construction for several years. Even then, Stephens knew he could count on Adam to run the shop.
“Every time I went on vacation or something he was the one I left in charge,” Stephens said.
As Stephens began comtemplating retirement, Adam decided he’d be interested in buying the business and has been back at the tire shop for a year and a half working full-time with Randy.
“It’s very exciting,” Fetting said. “I’m very fortunate. He thinks I’m pushing him out, but it’s just excitement. When you take over (a business), you’re ready.”
Randy has complete confidence in Adam because they both know that service is the key to running a local business, and Randy hopes Stephens’ Tires’ loyal customers will continue to visit Adam for the honest, dedicated service that has attracted customers from around the state — the kind of service that earned Stephens’ first place in the Tuscola County Advertiser’s Readers Choice Awards every single year.
Stephens’ honesty and commitment to his customers has made his tire shop a staple business in Caro. Advertiser sales executive Jackie Heiden recalled a time when, during a miserable, cold snowy day, she noticed her tire going flat. She said she pulled into Stephens’ where Randy diagnosed the problem as a leaking valve stem and quickly fixed the problem. Heiden said when she offered to pay, Randy just waved her off and wouldn’t take her money, just glad to help someone out.
When asked if he’d miss the business, Stephens said “yes” without hesitation.
“It’s been a good business,” he said. “You go into those big stores and it’s totally different. Half of them have never changed a tire. The only thing with us, we do it all. You’re not just sitting here, you’re chanigng tires, it’s all hands-on.
“Service is definitely the key. … If you mention tires, we’re known not just in Caro — we draw a lot of people from Cass City, Akron, Fairgrove, from the bigger cities; people who move away. it’s amazing how many people we get that come up from Lapeer.
“I just want to say thanks to everybody for all the years of support.”