Murphy's Tire Shop treats customers 'like family'
By Deborah Rose
There is a new energy emanating from Murphy’s Tire Shop in New Milford.
It stems from the shop’s new owner, Shari Baron, daughter of the business’ founder, Gary Murphy Sr.
Baron, also the owner of J&J Printing, has implemented a few changes since she assumed ownership a year ago in March 2023.
The changes, she said, uphold the quality of business her father built at the shop, and add to it.
“It’s going great,” Baron said, citing she has infused a waiting room facelift, new equipment, new staff, and an exterior facelift into the 56-year-old business.
For longtime customers who value the insight and advice of Murph Sr., as he is affectionately called, rest assured, he remains “on staff,” that is, when he isn’t bowling or active in another favorite pastime, according to Baron.
Although he is officially retired, Murph Sr. still clocks in. He changes tractor tires and sustains customer relations.
“I treasure his advice,” Baron said. “That’s why people come here.”
The shop’s focus is all things tires. That includes tire sales and installation, tire repairs, tire rotation and balancing, patching and/or plugging holes, wheel balancing and tire pressure sensor replacement.
“I’ve been going there for years,” said John Kimberly, owner of Kimberly Farms on Route 109 in town. “I would drive by other shops if I had to just so I could go there, but luckily Murphy’s isn’t too far from the farm.”
Ronnie Williams has been a longtime satisfied customer. He described Murphy’s as “a good family business that treats me fair” and “like family.”
The shop has taken care of Williams’ plow trucks, trailers, and personal trucks for well more than 10 years, he said.
The extensive number of tire size options on the market means the business has a lot to keep up and not every tire can be kept in stock. But Murphy’s Tire Shop can fulfill a customer’s need, Baron said, assuredly.
Kimberly noted the farm’s ability to help with just about anything.
“With a farm, there’s nowhere else you can go to fix a (lousy) wagon tire,” Kimberly said, adding
Murphy’s has helped him with skid steer tires, tractor tries, hay wagons and other farm equipment.
Baron, a Washington EMT, noted how the shifting automotive landscape has led to changes in the tire industry.
Advanced technology, such as with tire pressure sensors, which more easily malfunction or fail, and the lack of a vehicle spare tire have impacted the industry.
She recommends anyone who drives a vehicle familiarize themselves with their vehicle and know these three things: how to change a tire, the vehicle’s tire size, and whether the vehicle has a spare.
“Know your vehicle,” said Baron, who has served in numerous civic organizations and held various roles, including with the Rotary Club of New Milford, the United Way, and the Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce.
The business owner also recommends customers shop local, including when it comes to buying and repairing tires.
She noted how the process of online versus in-store tire purchases can pose a problem.
A tire’s guarantee is no longer valid when a customer purchases a tire online and then has it mounted and balanced elsewhere.
“It’s my dad’s legacy,” Baron said of why she assumed ownership when the opportunity arose. “My dad worked really hard to build this business.”
Murphy’s Tire Shop started in 1968 when Murph Sr. began working in the basement of his family’s home. At the time, he worked for Scoville in town and focused on the tire shop part time until about 1985 when he rented a space in the community.
Over the years, the shop moved around town but eventually settled into space at its current location at 11 Howland Road off Route 202.
It has been in the hands of family since its founding, with Murph Sr., at the helm, followed by his son, Gary Murphy, who owned it for 15 years; his daughter and son-in-law, Beth and Jeff Taylor, for a few years; and now Baron.
“I’ve seen how my dad has put love, and his heart and soul into this business over the years,” Baron related. “It means the world to him.”
Operating the tire shop and J&J Printing in the same building is convenient, Baron said.
Her career in the printing business began in 1992. She worked for a Brookfield company and then a New Milford business before opening her own shop, J&J Printing, in 2007.
J&J provides printing services, including business cards, letterhead, carbonless forms, foam core signs, and banners.
For more information about Murphy’s Tire Shop, located at 11 Howland Road in New Milford, call 860-354-2132.
Deborah Rose/Murphy's Tire Shop owner Shari Baron said she is proud to keep the business in the family for more than 50 years.
Deborah Rose/The tire shop has recently undergone a waiting room facelift.
Deborah Rose/Murphy's Tire Shop is located at 11 Howland Road, New Milford.