Business longevity has become more and more difficult in today’s business climate, yet Downtown Tire and Auto just celebrated their 50th year in business serving Hastings area residents from the same spot, the corner of Fourth Street and Highway 61 in Hastings.
Owned by Greg Kasel, the business has been a part of his family since his dad started working there in 1964. The building itself has roots back to 1930’s and possibly earlier when it was owned by Joe O’Rourke. In 1937, there was a lumber yard next door that had a fire, and it cited O’Rourke as an owner who then sold the building to Tom Kingston, then to Kasel’s father and ultimately to Kasel, who is now the fourth owner since 1998.
A big part of the building’s history in the 60’s, according to Kasel, was as a gas station and liquor store, and that store was a popular hangout for teenagers, Kasel said with a laugh. There may or may not have also been some card games played on site back then too. Somewhere in the story, now retired realtor Pete Nelson owned part of what is now the back stall of the building, so the connections to well-known Hastings residents are strong with the property.
The site sold gas until around 1984 when it became strictly an automotive service center and business is as strong and as challenging as ever. The biggest struggle? Keeping up with technology.
“Just trying to keep up with technology and hoping that you have the right tools. A lot of the vehicles require special tools to do basic jobs, and that can be challenging sometimes, making sure you got the right tools to do the work,” said Kasel.
There is a balance there, too. If the job requires a $200 tool that is a one-time use, it may not be worth pricing out the job, but a $50 tool that could be used a few times pays for itself easily.
It is clear that Kasel is really proud of the connection he has to the community even if he does not advertise that kind of stuff. Kasel is part of the Hastings Area Rotary Club. He and his wife Kari played a vital role in the success of this year’s Rivertown Live. He also does a lot of sponsoring of community events and teams throughout each year.
“That is part of it, giving back to the community. There's a lot of different sponsorships and donations you give throughout the year, and we don't really advertise that stuff. And there's a lot of businesses in town that do that. Like the United Way, there's so many businesses that donate to that, and we always have people looking for sponsorships and donations and stuff like that. And that's part of it, giving back,” he explained.
Kasel understands, as a small business, without the support of the community, the business would not have made it 50 years and he is very thankful for the support and the connections he has to the community.
The official open house may be over, but you can still stop in to congratulate the team at Downtown Tire and Auto and they would be happy to discuss your vehicle maintenance needs.