GIBSON CITY — Neal Tire & Auto Service permanently shut down its downtown Gibson City service center Wednesday afternoon, with employees notified just hours beforehand and the public only afterward via a sign posted on its door.
The Neal Tire location at 125 S. Sangamon Ave. was empty early Thursday afternoon, with merchandise gone and no employees there.
On its locked front door was a sign that read: “This location permanently closed. Sorry for the inconvenience. All warranty work will be honored at our other Neal Tire locations.”
A sign is posted Thursday at Neal Tire & Auto Service at 125 S. Sangamon Ave. in downtown Gibson City announcing the location’s permanent closure. The Gibson City service center was among 26 operated by Neal Tire, which has 18 other locations in Illinois plus six in Indiana and one in Hager Hill, Ky., according to the company’s website.
Emails seeking comment were not immediately returned by Neal Tire.
A Neal Tire employee broke the news of the impending closure on Facebook on Wednesday, saying he was notified that morning the business would be closing for good at 5 p.m.
The Ford County Chronicle called the Gibson City location to confirm the news, but an employee who answered the phone Wednesday afternoon said the business was not closing as had been stated. A different employee abruptly hung up on the Chronicle in a subsequent phone call. A third call was unanswered.
The wife of the employee who initially posted the news said via the Ford County Chronicle’s Facebook page that employees were given “absolutely no notice.”
“They were told (Wednesday) when (their) regional manager came in,” she said.
The Gibson City service center was among 26 operated by Neal Tire, which has 18 other locations in Illinois — in Bloomington, Charleston, Decatur, Havana, Herrin, Jacksonville, Lawrenceville, Lincoln, Litchfield, Mattoon, Mt. Zion, Paris, Pittsfield, Shelbyville, Sullivan, Taylorville, Toledo and Washington — plus six in Indiana and one in Hager Hill, Ky., according to the company’s website.
It previously was operated as a service center under a different owner.
“Its downfall came when it was sold from the Heideman family,” Gibson City resident Debra McCullough commented on the Ford County Chronicle’s Facebook page. “They knew how to operate a great business and had the best customer service.”
Gibson City Mayor Dan Dickey did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on the closure.
According to its website, Neal Tire was founded by the Neal family in 1925. Its service centers offer automotive services that include tire changes, oil changes, brake service, transmission service, wheel alignment, shocks and struts, tuneups and custom exhaust.
“As an industry leader, we truly set the standard by treating all customers like part of the family,” the company’s website said. “Our goal is to build trusted, lasting relationships through excellent customer experiences.”