When Dwayne Hubbert came home from work nearly six years ago and told his wife they were going to order tire machines and a lift, Hankins Tire & Auto was still just an empty garage.

Today, the family-run shop off Route 97 has grown into a local service stop for tires, oil changes, brakes, alignments, agricultural tire work and, most recently, New York State inspections.

Located at 24 County Road 132 in Hankins, the business opened in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was creating uncertainty for small businesses across the country.

For Dwayne, the decision followed more than 20 years working on school buses. He said he and his wife, Tanya, had talked about going into business for themselves before, but one difficult day at work made the decision clear.

“I came home, told my wife, order tire machines and a lift, and we’re going to go into business for ourselves,” Dwayne said.

Dwayne said they started from the ground up, “This was an empty garage with nothing,” he said. “Every dime we made for the first four or five years went right back into this business.”

Now in roughly its sixth year, Hankins Tire & Auto has continued to add services. The newest major addition is New York State inspections, which the shop began offering after purchasing an inspection machine from Buddenhagen Ford after the Hortonville business closed about two years ago.

Dwayne said inspection machines are not always easy to come by, with limits and waiting lists affecting how quickly a shop can add the service. In some cases, he said, shops can wait upward of 10 years for a machine.

He and his son, George, had already taken the required tests to become certified inspectors, but still had to wait several months before the machine was cleared and ready to use.

“We got lucky,” Dwayne said.

The shop currently offers light-duty vehicle inspections. Dwayne said they hope to add motorcycle inspections next, with heavy-duty truck inspections as a possible future step.

For a rural area where drivers may have fewer nearby options, Dwayne said the inspection service has helped bring more customers through the door.

“[We] knew it was going to help business,” he said. “And it did.”

The shop’s day-to-day work still includes tires, oil changes, brakes, exhaust and alignments. Dwayne said oil changes often lead to other repairs because they give mechanics a chance to spot worn brakes, tires or other issues before they become bigger problems.

Agricultural tire work has also become a growing part of the business. Dwayne estimated it now makes up about 15 percent of the shop’s work, with room to grow. The service includes on-site tractor tire work for farmers who may otherwise have to wait weeks or months for help from farther away.

“What better spot to advertise than where all the farmers are?” Dwayne said, noting the business has promoted that side of the shop at agricultural events, including the Delaware County Fair.

The business remains a family operation. George, now 21, is the shop’s main mechanic. Dwayne said the roles have shifted over time, with his son taking on more of the repair work while he increasingly helps where needed.

“At 21 years old, he’s a hell of a mechanic,” Dwayne said.

The next generation at the shop also includes Kevin Ferber, a BOCES student interning with Hankins Tire & Auto. Ferber said he enjoys working at the shop and plans to continue there after he completes the program.

Dwayne said he hopes Ferber becomes a long-term asset to the business.

Tanya and daughter, Mackenzie, are also part of the broader operation. Eagle Valley Marketing, which offers signs, shirts and related services, operates from the same building. Mackenzie also helps manage the business side of the auto shop, while Scott Herbert, a longtime employee, helps with service writing and phone calls.

Dwayne said the four family members recently became equal owners, giving the next generation a formal stake in the business’s future.

They have considered future expansions, including the possibility of adding body work someday, but Dwayne said they are trying to grow carefully and not get ahead of themselves.

For now, he said the focus is on continuing to serve local customers and maintaining the kind of shop where people know who is working on their vehicle.

“It is family owned, and it is a small town,” Dwayne said. “You still have a local shop here.”

That local connection, he said, is what separates a family-run business from larger dealerships or repair chains. 

Dwayne said one of the hardest parts of running the shop has been raising prices as the cost of doing business has climbed, including oil, parts and energy.

Even as those costs rise, he said, the family tries to keep customers in mind.

“People are trying to squeeze pennies into dimes as it is,” Dwayne said. “You feel like you’re taking advantage of them, but we’re just trying to keep the lights on.”

For him, that is where a local shop differs from a larger dealership or repair chain.

“We care about you, not just your car,” Dwayne said.