Main Street Tire for Your Automotive Needs

By Cindy Ladage

Main Street Tire is named accordingly since they are located on Main Street along Route 4.  Owned by Mike Worth and Jeff Jenkins, the two have been doing business in the automotive industry for almost 20 years.  “We built our first shop in Carrollton, Illinois in 2005,” Mike Worth said.

Open ten years in Carollton, in May of 2012, the opportunity came to purchase the business in Virden, Illinois Main Street Tire. Prior to being Main Street Tire, the business was owned by Mike Hannah.  Before that, the tire store, E.T. Tire was started by Paul Thomas.  Since then, the store has been continuous from Thomas to Hannah, and now to Worth and Jenkins. Main Street Tire manager, Terry June, has been with the business in its various capacities for the last 25 years.

Switching between the tire stores in Carollton and Virden, Mike Worth said, “We, Jeff, and I shift places every Monday morning.”

That way both owners can keep in touch with what is happening at both Main Street Tire in Carollton, and Virden.  To keep things running smoothly Mike said, “We have Terry June the manager here, and he stays at the shop here.”

Along with the mechanics in the shop, Terry has the assistance of Ellie Cannady, the office manager.  “She answers the phones, so everyone knows her,” Mike said.  “The other shop in Carollton is smaller, and we answer the phones there.”

Everyone has Virden roots.  Mike shared that he and Jeff Jenkins, and Terry June are all Virden alums. “We all graduated from Virden high school.  Jeff worked here years ago.  I was selling tools for Snap On Tools, and I would stop here, that’s how Jeff and I met.  I recruited Jeff to Snap On, and we both had our own franchises and routes.  Then, we went into the automotive business, and we’ve never looked back.”

When Jeff and Mike opened their first automotive store, they selected Carollton because, “My father ran an individual garage called Worth’s Garage, and I didn’t want to compete.”

Working in Worth’s Garage with his parents, Danny and Shirley Worth, Mike learned the automotive trade from the ground up.  Jeff was already experienced from his previous years working in the automotive industry at the Virden location. “We both had automotive backgrounds.  I grew up with it, and as a kid, helped when I could along with my two brothers.”

At Main Street Tire, they offer a variety of services.  “We offer everything,” Mike said, “from oil changes, tire rotations, selling tires, doing alignments and heavy repairs like brakes, shocks and even switching out engines.”

They offer services for automobiles, and light trucks.  To make things easier for their employees, Mike said, “We used to be open six days a week, but now we are open five days a week, from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.”

Over the years Mike said he has seen a few changes dealing with cars and such. “Cars have got better over the years.  They used to have to be overhauled every 100,000 miles. Today with fuel injections, this saves a lot. Many vehicles will go up to 300,000 miles.”

While they serve customers of most vehicles, Mike said some changes are coming that they are not equipped for.  This includes hybrid and electric vehicles, and autonomous cars.  For the day-to-day vehicle though, they are ready and able to handle most of your automotive needs. To contact Main Street Tire, they are located at 1104 N. Springfield Street. For details, call them by dialing 217-965-3347.