ELKHART, Texas — It's never fun when you have to take your car in for service. It can even be intimating for some folks. One tire shop owner here in East Texas is trying to change that.
Under the shadow of the Elkhart water tower is a tire shop that rolled into town a couple of months ago, Emma's Tire Shop. These working hands belong to the owner, Emma Schmidt.
"Usually it’s repairs, tubes, tractor tires --- a lot of tractor tires. Or any used tires, stuff like that," Schmidt said.
If she looks young, that’s because she is. Schmidt is an entrepreneur at just 20 years old.
"I worked with my dad, so I’ve grown up in a small business atmosphere so it’s really a walk in the park starting it up and all that," Schmidt said.
The tire business has been in Schmidt's blood for years. She started working with her dad when she was a little girl.
"He had a tire shop and so I worked there and trained employees and things like that. I worked my way up and started my own here," Schmidt said.
She opened this place to make it a welcoming experience for all, whether you’re a tire expert or not.
"I try to create a safer atmosphere, so no one is judged," Schmidt said. "Like people who don’t know how to read their tire size or people who don’t know certain brands and what they need in their vehicle."
And to help her is the machine that she calls "old faithful," which came from the old shop where she worked with her dad.
"If she can’t do it, I don’t know what can," Schmidt said.