Canadian Tire 1920s

In 1922 Canadian Tire was founded by Canadians, Bill and Alf Billes. Originally set up as a tire shop, the Toronto-born brothers faced many hardships as a new business. They encountered difficult neighbours and had conflicts that often resulted in fights. Additionally, the bridge that led to the garage was closed for several months due to construction, therefore restricting cars from entering the business. Then, the brothers were hit with good luck. After two Canadian winters that produced almost no snow, the brother’s were able to purchase hundreds of tires for cheap from several warehouses. That following Winter, it snowed like crazy. The brothers made a fortune based off of those sales, were able to expand the garage, and changed locations to Yonge/Gerrard Street. Canadian Tire was the first company to sell tires on credit, as a business pitch to expand their growing customer base. In 1927, Canadian Tire officially became a corporation. The shareholders included the two brothers, Morley Hicks (manager), Gordon Blakely (shipper), and Elise Billes (stenographer). By 1929, Canadian Tire had expanded their product line to include radio batteries, and radio parts.