CORNERSTONES
Cains Tire and Malugani Tire Center Two family businesses with plenty of tread left...
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n the middle of the last century, Marin was growing by leaps and bounds. World War II had ended and more folks were planting roots in the area. It was a good time to start a family business. And two local families with similar ideas—the Maluganis and the McAlonans—were putting the “wheels in motion” for lasting success. Stella and Dan Malugani started their eponymously named tire center in what is now the warehouse for the 2AM Club on Montford Avenue in Mill Valley. The year was 1948 and DeSotos, Ramblers and Hudsons shared the road with Pontiac woodies and Plymouth wagons. Dan loved to work on cars and knew that would be his future. During the war, when tires were rationed, he ran an inspection center. Stella had a mind for business and attended Sweets Business College in Santa Rosa, laying the groundwork for their partnership. After the war, they launched Malugani Tire Center, handling tire repair and replacement as well as all types of undercar work. Dan and Stella’s shop gained a strong following because of good, old-fashioned
customer service and integrity. They raised their family in Mill Valley; the kids attended Old Mill School and played on local sports teams. They supported the community and the community supported them. Their son, Dan Jr., joined the business in 1954, a few years after graduating from Marin Catholic, and the business continued to grow. In 1968, with an expansion in mind, the Maluganis moved their tire center to its current location on Miller Avenue. By now, grandkids were in the picture. They came to the shop and helped out, sweeping the office floor, stamping envelopes and running errands for 25 cents an hour (or a pack of gum). Meanwhile in the tire center, new inventions on the technology side were changing how maintenance was performed. Malugani’s mechanics stayed abreast of the latest trends, further enhancing their reputation. In the 1980s, Dan and Stella’s granddaughter Kendal joined the business, followed by her husband, John Savelli, a few years later. In the ’90s grandsons Ken and Michael Monge came onboard, making the business a true family affair. In 2008, Malu-
The Maluganis found their road to success with a personal touch.
Pat McAlonan put the wheels in motion for Cains Tire in 1957.
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gani Tire Center celebrated its 60th anniversary. A proud Dan Sr. surrounded by his family is immortalized in a photo taken that day and posted on the shop’s website. Nowadays the office is even more customer friendly than ever with free Wi-Fi, gourmet coffee and tea and a toy corner for youngsters. A blooming art collection brightens the walls and doughnuts and dog biscuits provide snacks for everyone. Customer service and community support remain foundations for the business. Meanwhile, in the burg of San Rafael just up the highway from Mill Valley, Pat McAlonan was also thinking about tires. In the 1950s, Fourth Street was known as Auto Row, with dealers for Chrysler, Cadillac, Pontiac, Dodge, Plymouth and DeSoto lining both sides of the road. Cains Tire had opened in the 1920s and was originally inside a Nash and Rambler dealer. Pat purchased the business and took over the building in 1957. Since he was a teenager, Pat had worked on tires. There was a retread shop a half-mile from his house and he walked down one day and asked for a job when he was 16. From there he moved to Goodyear and worked as the outside truck man, handling the tires for fleets of trucks. He took time out from tires when he went in the military and to college; once graduated, he intended to go to law school but Goodyear offered him a job and he
decided to take it. When Cains became available, it seemed like a natural fit to Pat. He bought it, hired some mechanics and the business thrived. The first person he ever hired stayed with the company for more than 47 years; the rest of the mechanics have been there for more than 20 years. That type of work environment makes for consistency and contributes to a good business foundation. As Pat’s kids grew up, they joined him at the shop. Currently his son, two daughters and daughter-in-law all work with him, contributing to the success of his company. The shop sells and installs 48,000 tires per year and services 90-110 cars per day. Over the years the business has changed drastically. Mostly, the cost of everything has gone way up. It is a big investment to buy tires now; customers can pay upward of $200 per tire. It’s not a casual purchase the way it used to be when you could pay just a little more than that for a whole set. Besides the cost of tires, the equipment to put them on has also gone sky-high. A tire-changer machine is about $20,000 and an alignment rack can cost up to $50,000. In the old days, these machines were a fraction of that cost. Pat says that the prices have risen to accommodate the vast improvements new technologies have added to the equipment, improving the industry overall. He attributes the shop’s longevity to his sales style. He always gives a full fair price out the door for a tire package, which he says differs from his competitors. Many places have hidden charges that aren’t revealed until it’s time to sign the bill. Cains gives customer what they want, do the job efficiently and get them on their way safely with money still left in their pocket. In these days of bankruptcies and layoffs, it’s reassuring that the Maluganis and the McAlonans continue to keep their successful family businesses—and Marin’s tires—rolling along for so many years. —Brooke Jackson Malugani’s Tire Center, 493 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley. 415/388-1800. maluganitire.com Cains Tire, 1531 Fourth Street, San Rafael. 415/453-2942. cainstire.com