Almost 50 years after Les Schwab came to Hermiston, the tire center celebrated the grand opening of its new facility Friday.

It was kind of sad to see it go. There were a lot of memories there, but it was time, store manager Steve Scott said of the old building. Weve sure had a lot of positive comments about the look (of the new building). I think its made a difference.

A visitor asked Scott about the differences between the two buildings, and although the new center is much larger with modern equipment and fixtures, Scott answered with one basic difference.

This one was actually built to be a tire center, he said with a laugh.

According to Scott, Hermiston Les Schwab first opened May 14, 1964, in a pre-existing commercial building on the site, now part of the expanded parking lot.

The old building was originally, as far as we can trace it, a restaurant, he said. It was a Handy Hanks TV Repair shop when Les bought it.

Over the next several decades, the tire center expanded, purchasing nearby property and growing the building with the business. The center, which started with four employees, now has more than 30 on the payroll. Eventually, Scott said it reached a point where it simply needed a new building.

The old store was a good store for a lot of years, but it was old and it was small, he said. Weve grown a lot since we first opened.

The tire center remained open while the new facility was being built. During construction, parts of the new facility stood just 37 inches from the existing building.

This building has been a year-long process, just in construction, but were very proud of the way this has turned out, Scott said. Its pretty neat to be a part of this community.