Long Time Amarillo Business Shuts Their Doors After 38 Years
I do a lot of driving along I-27 these days getting kids back and forth to baseball practice and to the batting cages. Because of this, I tend to drive past a lot of places over and over again and don't seem to pay them any mind as I drive past.
A perfect example of this is something I noticed just the other day as I was driving back from the batting cages, and it really took me by surprise.
The building in which Texas Tire & Tube was in, you know, the one that has a tire on a pole, had a huge banner over the name of the business. What did it say? "For Sale", and I was completely blown away by that.
Any time I drove past there, I swear I saw plenty of cars in the parking lot, at least during business hours. It seemed like things were going well there. I actually bought my most recent set of tires from them before I had to head out on a trip, and they were super friendly and quick.
I decided to look into this a bit and see how recent this was. Much to my shock, this happened over a month ago.
No explanation, no blowout sale, nothing. One day they were here, the next day they were gone. A business that has been a staple in Amarillo for 38 years just vanished.
I'm really hoping that this isn't a sign of things to come in 2024. I know the economy has been tough, and we saw many place shut their doors for good in 2023, but to see this continuing trend is unsettling. Here's to hoping the former business owners are off to Florida to retire and take in some sun, and that the economy didn't force them out.
LOOK: These Amarillo Restaurants Said Goodbye in 2023
Gallery Credit: Melissa Bartlett/TSM