Wheels in Motion for Town Fair Tire to Open 1st Aquidneck Island Store

Town Fair Tire is on track to open its first Aquidneck Island store in Middletown by late October.

James Uliano, Vice President of Marketing for the New England-based high volume discount tire dealer, told Patch Tuesday that the earliest construction phases—the excavations and roadwork currently underway at the junction of West Main Road and Valley Road—so far puts Town Fair right on schedule to set up shop within two to three months. Right now, construction crews are working on the foundation and installing additional drainage in the roadway.

"We're shooting for an opening in the third week of October, but it's not uncommon for projects like this to sometimes get pushed back a few weeks, so it could happen as late as early November," said Uliano.

Once completed, the new facility will encompass 7,000 square feet of retail space and five service bays.

In a down economy, Town Fair's continued expansion can be attributed to the down economy itself, said Uliano, noting that fewer new car sales usually means increased upkeep, repairs and tire replacements for all those older vehicles that people are keeping longer.

As for the local economy, the new store will need to hire a staff of 15 to fill vacancies as managers, assistant managers, salespersons, and tire and alignment technicians.

The new Middletown location would become the Connecticut-based company's sixth Rhode Island store and 83rd store overall, with other locations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. The new store will sit along Middletown's busiest travel artery at the southeast corner of the busy three-way intersection of West Main and Valley roads, next door to the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Town Fair chose Middletown and specifically that corner, said Uliano, for its central location on Aquidneck Island and high traffic visibility, as well as perceived consumer needs.

In the immediate area, other tire retailers like Benny's and Bjs Wholesale Club are located less than a mile from the future Town Fair site, but that doesn't seem to phase Town Fair, which distinguishes itself as New England's largest volume discount tire dealer and largest distributor of custom wheels.

"We did a study of the area and found it's lacking for tire sales," said Uliani. The location also would give Town Fair a slight edge, as he later noted, "That is a high travel, high visibility area. It creates top-of-mind awareness, so when people think of tires, they'll think of us."

For more information about Town Fair Tire and possible job openings, click here.