After a rocky year under new ownership, an Auburn auto repair shop is reopening with its longtime previous owner at the wheel.
Harry鈥檚 Tire, which was bought by the Riester family in 1983 and sold to new owners in March 2024, will officially reopen June 9 as Legacy Automotive, a name that will likely be temporary.
Chris Riester, who reacquired the once-popular聽142 Grant Ave. shop in April,聽told 人兽性交 he is still trying to secure the rights to the Harry's Tire name from the previous owners.
While Riester is excited to get back to work, he also acknowledged that聽he has a lot of ground to make up.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely going to be a period of goodwill building,鈥 he said, referencing negative customer reviews of the shop over the last year. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt about that.鈥澛
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Legacy Automotive, previously Harry's Tire, on Grant Avenue in Auburn.
Online ratings of the shop plummeted under the last owner, with many calling the customer experience mediocre.聽One rating on Yelp, left by Krystyne from Cato, said, 鈥淚f I could give it no stars I would.鈥
Riester said he's going to try to build back the trust Harry's Tire has enjoyed from the community since it opened in 1914, but he doesn't expect that to happen overnight.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 no shortcut that I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥 he said. "Trying to get people through the door with the cheapest prices doesn鈥檛 really do it. This will be slow-going and to build back up, it just takes time.鈥澛
One way Riester is hoping to improve the shop is its availability. Under the last owner it was open by appointment only, with no walk-ins accepted, and was closed on Saturdays.聽
Riester plans to welcome walk-ins once again, and keep the shop open on weekends.聽
鈥淲e鈥檒l just be available, just be easy to work with, and if something comes up we're always ready to go 鈥 'cause I don鈥檛 expect people to plan their lives around me,鈥 he said.聽
鈥淎 lot of times stuff just happens, so you got to be ready for it. I got to try and keep it as stress-free as we can.鈥澛
Riester said the shop offers an array of what he called basic car needs: oil changes, brake replacements, tire alignments, vehicle diagnostics and New York state inspections.聽
鈥淲hatever people need, we鈥檙e here to help,鈥 he said.
While Riester is unsure if he will be able to keep the Harry's name, he said it has taken such a hit over the last year that having to find a new one wouldn't be the worst thing.聽
鈥淚 think the name is probably less important than the actual service,鈥 he said.聽鈥淭he people want to know that you鈥檙e going to be taking care of it. I don鈥檛 know if it matters what name鈥檚 on the building.鈥澛