Byline: Vera Linsalata
Tire dealer Keith Hammitt is living his dream: playing with hot rods, working with cars and getting paid for it.
Mr. Hammitt, owner of Muskego Tire & Auto, recently relocated his business into a 9,350-sq.-ft. store that reflects his love for America's automotive heritage and the charm of vintage hot rods. He has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration for June 24.
'This is not your typical-looking tire store, he told Tire Business. 'When I tried to lay it out and design it, that's what my biggest goal was, to not have any type of duplication of any other tire store or auto center.
Unlike many tire and auto service centers, Muskego Tire's facility is designed to suggest the architecture of automobile-related structures from the early 1920s through the 1950s. It has eight bays, a corner tower, lighted exterior canopies, gooseneck bell lamps and period streetlights.
In the showroom sits a 1933 Chevy Coupe hot rodowned by a Muskego Tire customersurrounded by Mr. Hammitt's collection of period-correct gas pumps, signage and automotive memorabilia. The showroom is meant for street rod displays, and Mr. Hammitt said he already has a list covering late September through next March of customers who'd like to display their classic hot rods in his store.
In the waiting lounge are photographs and trophies of local community sports teams Mr. Hammitt has sponsored, as well as a lighted cabinet containing his collection of model cars and trucks.
A Firestone-affiliated dealership, Muskego Tire opened its doors in 2000 when Mr. Hammitt purchased a former body shop two blocks away from the new facility and converted it into a five-bay tire store. Prior to that, Mr. Hammitt had worked as an ASE-certified master technician.
When the city of Muskego announced about six years ago that it intended to widen the road at the store's location, Mr. Hammitt saw an opportunity to expand his dealership and build the vintage facility he had always dreamed of, so he went to work on the layout and design and sold the former location.
'My wife's going to be grateful it's up and done now because for the last five years or so, every time we go on vacation or go places, I'd always get lost for a day going places that looked relatively new and try to talk to the owners, he said, adding that he asked fellow tire dealers what they would have done differently about their facilities.
In collaboration with construction firm Briohn Building Corp. of Brookfield, Wis., Mr. Hammitt not only thought of the design and layout but also came up with some energy-efficient features:
* A hydronic system that heats and circulates water used to warm the shop floor;
* Insulated windows and bricks;
* A retention pond; and
* Landscaping that maximizes green space and includes an in-ground watering system.
Service baysat 67 feet wideare larger to accommodate oversized vehicles for service.
'This is probably the first building they've ever built like this, he said of Briohn Building. 'Quite frankly, they're proud of it.
The June 24 grand opening event will include Muskego community leaders, all 15 of the sports teams Mr. Hammitt sponsors and a special flag dedication for a former employee who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'He brought a flag back that was flown over his base for me and gave it to me, Mr. Hammitt said. 'So we're going to do a flag dedication and let him raise that on our flagpole.
Mr. Hammitt said after the ceremony is done, he plans to have his former employee take the flag down and fold it up to be put in a cherry case Mr. Hammitt bought on a recent trip to Mount Vernon, Va.
The case, along with a photo of the veteran, will be mounted on one of the dealership's walls near the door, along with biographical information on the soldier and his unit, Mr. Hammitt said.
Muskego Tire employs 12 and last year posted sales of $1.48 million. Seventy percent of the store's sales are in auto service and the rest in tire sales. The dealership carries all major tire brands.
Mr. Hammitt's goal is to build a 3,500-sq.-ft. warehouse with two bays on the north side of his property and eventually, if business does well, to build another store with similar design and memorabilia in another community.
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