The shop is in a busy commercial area right down the street from California State University Northridge.  It occupies five sections of a multispace building with parking lot access on one side and alley access in back.  The first section is offices, followed by a 10-bay shop area, and filled out by storage for special projects.

Lyon and his partner, Roy Halpern are the owners.  "The shop has been here 22 years," Lyon said.  "Roy bought it 12 years ago, and I became his partner 4 1/2 years ago.  Before I was brought in, I was the service manager and service adviser at Rydell Chevrolet for 10 years," he said.

In addition to the owners, the shop has three office staff and seven technicians, Lyon said.  Kenny Kelso and his daughter, Sarah Kelso, staff the counter and office, he said, and Bookkeeper Carrie Ginsberg does double duty on the phones. 

"Kenny is really good at the counter," Lyon said.  "He has been in the tire business his whole life.  Someone will come in or call about a car, and he will say, 'That came with this size unless it had the optional wheel package, then it takes this size.' Kenny is a walking tire database.  He is amazing.

"And his daughter Sarah is a real asset to us," he added.  "She has a remarkable eye for accessories and knows which ones work with which vehicles.  When people come in and want to talk about accessories, I send them to her.

  
"People sometimes underestimate her because she is an attractive woman, but that is a mistake," Lyon said.  She not only grew up as her father's daughter in the tire business but she is the driver for an NHRA dragster team, Y A Motorsports.  She finished third in championship points last year and is in the running with three races to go this year. She drives 185 MPH in the mid-7.40s for fun."

Lyon said he focuses on solving undercar repair problems as well as doing some four-wheel-drive vehicle customization.  "I am a member, and this year the president, of the On The Rocks four-wheel-drive club," he said. 

 
"I get a lot of satisfaction out of making a vehicle capable of doing what I want it to do.  I am interested in gear packages, lift kits, and all the modifications that go with off road, rock climbing, and towing."

The different areas of expertise allow the shop to meet the needs of its varied customer base, he said.  "Between the three of us, plus Roy and Carrie, we have a well-rounded, very competent office team," he said.  "We also have good people here in the shop as well.  Several of them have been with us a number of years." 

 
While the shop performs alignments, offers undercar repair, and sells vehicle accessories, tires are still the heart and soul of the business, Lyon said.  "The majority of what we do is tires--wholesale and retail.  It runs about 65 percent tires to accessories and mechanical. The accessories are strictly bolt on, no modifications required, and quick turnaround. 

 
 "Also," he said, "there has to be a good source for them close since we don't stock any except for the sales displays in the office.  We cannot tie up our money putting stuff on a shelf in the back room.

"We do stock the fast-moving tire sizes," Lyon said.  "In addition, we access 10 tire warehouses in the Los Angeles area that deliver twice a day.  So we can fit anything. 

"A couple of years ago, almost 50 percent of our work was big tire and wheel packages for SUVs and trucks," he said.  "That is over.  Now our retail is mostly people looking to keep the older car going and the people who have exotic, high-performance, and high-dollar cars.  Our wholesale still covers the whole range."

About 25 percent of the shop's business is wholesale, Lyon said, providing tires, accessories, and alignments for other shops in the area.

"We sell the wholesale tires to places like the four Rydell GM dealerships, other dealers, and garages that don't want to do tires themselves," he said.  "On the other hand, we do alignments and balance work for several independent garages that may do an occasional ball joint or tie rod ends, but not enough to justify their own alignment machine."

The ability to perform repairs and alignments is one of the things that separate Northridge Tire Pros from the big-box stores or tire-only competitors, Lyon said.  "Our goal is 20 alignments a day between the two racks," he said.  "And if we don't do at least 12, I get very nervous. 

"You have to remember that there are places that sell tires that do not do front-end work," he said.  "But when people are looking at a worn tire, it is the perfect time for them to pay attention to the cause of poor tire wear.  So we get work from some of the big-box customers when they see their old tire has an unusual wear pattern.  If they shop us first they find we can equal or beat the price. 

"And with our nationwide affiliation, we have a better warranty.  We get the high-dollar and exotic work because we carry sizes and types other people don't have available."

Lyon said the shop tries to focus on tires, straightforward repairs, and accessory installations, which are in and out the same day, but sometimes the staff gets talked into more involved projects.

"We try not to get involved in any long-term projects but sometimes with the people we know it is unavoidable," he said.  "That and storage is what that last section is used for.  We call them special projects because they involve things for club members or fellow racers or something like that, and even then, it has to help pay its fair share of the rent on the space."

As it has for the past 12 years, Northridge Tire Pros continues to adapt to its customers needs and wants to keep the shop full, Lyon said.  "Business has slowed down a bit and shifted in focus with the change in the economy," he said.  "People are driving less but it is somewhat offset by the need to care for their older cars. 

"Overall, I do not expect to be immune from the downturn in the economy, but I feel confident that we have the right people and the right mix of products and services to feel good about our future."