Monday, October 20, 2014

Goodyear auto repair shop uptown closes

When I went to get my routine oil change at the Goodyear auto repair shop uptown this morning, I discovered some unexpected breaking news: the repair shop, at Stonewall and Tryon streets, has closed down.

According to the mechanic who walked up before I could exit the vehicle, the shop closed for good on Friday. The parking lot, normally full of cars left by busy uptown office workers like myself, was half-empty. Big oil barrels sat in one of the empty repair bays -- part, I supposed, of the process of tearing down and cleaning up the site. “We are closing that store,” Goodyear spokesman Jim Davis confirmed to me later. “It’s a difficult decision, but what’s going on there is it’s been an unprofitable store and we have an expiring lease.”

Photo by Mark Hames
The employees will scatter to other Goodyear stores, he said, but Goodyear will no longer have a shop uptown. Bad news for a lot of uptown workers, especially on the south end of Tryon, who enjoyed the convenience of dropping their car off, walking to work and just picking it up fixed in the afternoon at quitting time.

Ostensibly, the shop's closing helps set the stage for the 27-story Tryon Place mixed-use development Crescent Communities plans to build on the three-acre site. Crescent's plans for the site include office, retail and hotel components, but the company has said it won't announce a start date for construction until it lands an anchor tenant. I'll be checking in with them, and will update this post when I hear more.
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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 10:58 AM

    Sounds promising...fingers crossed!

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  2. UnknownOctober 20, 2014 at 11:51 AM

    So, if I know uptown as well as I think I do, that leaves the repair shop at 9th and Tryon as the only 1 left uptown. This makes the CATS decision to shut down the Gold Rush orange line even more baffling. The buses were never empty when I rode them, and having that option would make it a lot eaiser for people to use that last repair shop and ride the Gold Rush to the other end of uptown.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 12:28 PM

    I guess people got tired of being ripped off by that shop. You definitely paid a steep premium for the convenient location of the Goodyear in Uptown.

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  4. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 1:46 PM

    My mom used to work there, I spent a lot of Saturday mornings there in the late 70's/early 80's...used to go and watch the start of the Marathon from the windows. That's back when they sold washers/dryers, TV's, etc.. Good Times.

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  5. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 2:49 PM

    You still Have McCarthy Tire on the corner of 6th & Graham St. There is also a Woodies Auto on McDowell St.

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  6. Jenna GribbleOctober 20, 2014 at 3:08 PM

    There is also Dynamic Auto on Hill Street beside the stadium.

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  7. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 4:42 PM

    Lol Woodies...where you go for an inspection and leave with an ignition coil, 2 tires and battery. I wouldnt send my worst enemy there.

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  8. AnonymousOctober 20, 2014 at 5:04 PM

    "Crescent's plans for the site include office, retail and hotel components..."

    What a novel idea! What will they think of next for the uppity town area? Bars? Shops? Mixed-use developments? The sky's the limit!

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