Johnson's Tire to close Wasilla, Eagle River locations

WASILLA — A local tire business that declared bankruptcy in June will have closed the doors to two satellite locations this weekend.

The last full day of business for the Johnson Tire locations in Wasilla and Eagle River was Saturday evening, according company manager Jake Sharek. The company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. District Court in Anchorage in June, a process that was still ongoing in January, according to federal court documents.

Officials said at the time the bankruptcy wouldn’t affect customers or employees of the company, which has been located at a location near the intersection of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway Spur and the Parks highway for about 15 years, Sharek said.

Seven employees will lose their jobs as a result of the closures announced Friday. Customer accounts will be transferred to the business’s location at 3330 Denali Street in Anchorage.

The closures were made because the company lost the lease at the two locations without any opportunity to renew, Sharek said. The business is hoping the closures will represent only a temporary setback, according to Sharek.

“I definitely don’t feel good about it,” he said. “It’s really unfortunate. It’s very unfortunate for the people of Wasilla to lose this business.”

The company was grateful to serve its customers, owner Kelly Gaede said in a statement.

“May I offer our deepest regret and sincere gratitude to all of our Wasilla and Eagle River customers we have had the pleasure of serving over the years, and to the employees who have helped us do just that,” Gaede said.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.