The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Arcadia Historical Society to pay tribute to longstanding businesses in Arcadia for their ongoing contribution to the financial health of the City and to the historical cultural fabric of the community.
See profile of April 18 Business Icon recipient here – Fasching’s Car Wash.
The first business to receive the new Arcadia Business Icon recognition on March 21 will be Arcadia Tires at 15 E. Duarte Road, which opened more than 25 years ago in 1987. (short video profile from 2007 here)
Members of the Chamber and Society will present the tribute at the Chamber’s monthly Networking Breakfasts at 7:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Santa Anita Golf Course club house Sunset Room. Honorees need not be Chamber members. Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for non-members (free admission for those holding a Chamber All Access Pass), and can be ordered by phone at 626-447-2159 or online at www.ArcadiaCaChamber.org)
Mike Boyadjian
Although the Arcadia Tires name reflected owner Mike Boyadjian’s initial intent to focus exclusively on tires, he said he quickly realized he needed to service more than tires to survive. The shop added oil changes and within a few years was offering front-end alignments and all manner of auto repairs for almost any type of vehicle.
“People are jealous of me for having a business in Arcadia,” Boyadjian says, noting that other auto repair shops in the area moved to Arcadia from neighboring cities after observing his success. “They see how busy we are; this is a great city and it’s great for business.”
After replacing the former King Bear front end repair business at the location, Arcadia Tires quickly gained a reputation as being an immaculately clean auto repair shop inside the small white tile building just east of Santa Anita Avenue. The business has also engendered loyalty among its customers by providing quick, friendly, and professional service at reasonable prices, sometimes even no charge if mechanics discover the problem is minor. Great word-of-mouth spreads from generation-to-generation and customer loyalty extends across across the country.
“My customers are good people who follow me for years,” he says. “When their kids grow up, get married and move away, they keep coming back. One lives in North Carolina and calls me by phone.”
