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At Cook’s Tire Pros in Goldsboro, you can get your car serviced and do some shopping while you wait. The service desk and waiting room at this long-operating facility double as a friendly gift shop where you can find affordable gifts, clothing, and aromatherapy oils made by the owner, Candy Cook. The gift shop is called Jupiter’s Garden, named after Candy’s grandson and her passion: gardening.
Candy is the third-generation business owner. It all started with her grandfather, Arthur, a coal miner from Virginia. He realized he could make money by refurbishing old tractor and trailer tires, painting and re-grooving them, and selling them. This led to the creation of his first company, Black Diamond Tire. He eventually purchased the Goldsboro shop, which was originally an old sand and gravel pit. “There was nothing here except the shop with two ponds,” Candy says. “Every tree, plant or flower either my grandfather or my father planted, or I planted.” Her father Bernie built two family homes and ran the auto business with the help of his family and his high school sweetheart, her mother, also called Candy.
Candy was delivering mail as a single mom when her uncle asked her to come onboard his tire business in Harrington, Delaware. “It was a tiny room, dirty, tires everywhere, a fold up chair for the customers and a filing cabinet that was a box,” Candy recalls. She continued, “I found out I was good at it and grew the business quickly. I quit the post office and did it full time.” Her uncle begged her to buy the business so he could retire. She bought the Harrington location, bought Goldsboro location, and now has 12 employees in the two shops.
Candy believes in going above and beyond for her customers, treating their cars as if they were her own. She credits her parents for instilling in her the values of taking care of others. “It’s four generations now coming to me for service. 99 percent of the people who come to us love us and we love them. We treat their car like it’s our own.”
Candy is passing on to her customers more than just good tire service. She says, “I am who I am because of them.” Her mom recently passed but her memory is very much a part of every day. Her father passed away in 2016, but his legacy too lives on in the business. She remembers, “they were real characters. Where they saw a need, it was filled. Whether it was someone who needed a place to stay, or food or money, they met it. I still miss them so much.” Candy speaks of her father, “He was a big Southern Teddy Bear - everyone loved him.”
Candy’s daughter, Emmie, is also involved in the family business, making jewelry and paintings. Candy’s future plans include expanding the gift shop and collaborating with her neighbor, who makes soap from goat milk. She also sold many plants this summer and has a greenhouse on the way.
Cook’s Tire Pros and Jupiter’s Garden in Goldsboro are both open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Harrington, DE location is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
