Firestone shop finds home among like business south of downtown

by John Benson

Over the past few years, Darrow Road in Hudson, south of the downtown core, has become home to various automotive businesses.

The trend continues with the recent addition of Firestone Complete Auto Care, which opened in February.

“Obviously there are a lot of opportunities in Hudson,” said Firestone Complete Auto Care Assistant manager Rob Kensinger, who came from the Chapel Hill store. “It’s a growing and really close-knit city where residents care about other businesses.

“There are some mom and pop (businesses), but there’s really no big store that can do everything. We’re a growing company with up to 2,600 locations nationwide. I think Firestone just saw a good opportunity to kind of keep growing.”

Firestone looked at Hudson for awhile before deciding on the former Volkswagen dealership building at 5735 Darrow Road. Last summer, Firestone Complete Auto Care took over the 10,040-square-foot facility with a total makeover inside.

“I know this building has been here quite awhile with no one in it,” Kensinger said. “I’m sure the city was happy to kind of see an empty spot get filled. It went pretty smoothly. The shell and structure stayed the same, but everything in the inside was a total rebuild.

“We had to modify it to make it more customer-friendly. We started construction around June, and we got access to the building mid-January.”

Firestone Complete Auto Care boasts highly trained technicians delivering automotive services and maintenance related to oil changes, brake services, battery tests, engine tune-ups, shocks and struts. The Hudson location also has a 1,000-tire storeroom.

“We can do anything, whether it’s a problem or maintenance,” Kensinger said. “It’s really in the name: Firestone Complete Auto Care. Obviously, tires are a big one for us. We’re trying to be the best provider in every neighborhood. We’re here to take care of people.”

So far Kensinger, who lives in Stow, said the transition to Hudson has been a success.

“Everybody is really excited,” Kensinger said. “If you look at Northeast Ohio, there are a lot of Firestones that people trust, but there’s kind of a gap between Akron and the nearest location in Northfield. “We’re kind of filling that Stow, Hudson, Twinsburg, Solon area where people want to come to us; they just didn’t have a location somewhere close. Now that there’s somewhere right down the road, they’re pretty excited.”

Feature image photo caption: Hudson become one of the newest among Firestone Complete Auto Care’s 2,600 locations nationwide when the Darrow Road shop opened earlier this year.