Lee’s Tire & Wheel, a family-owned auto shop that has served the community since 1966, is back in business after a catastrophic fire last November. The shop, owned by Mike and Ashley Sigmon, reopened its doors on February 3, marking a new chapter for the business after months of hardship and uncertainty.
On November 8, 2024, consignment tires at the shop’s Collinsville location caught fire, causing extensive damage to the building and tens of thousands of dollars in lost merchandise and equipment.
Mike Sigmon received a frantic call from a friend while helping his younger children onto the school bus.
Ashley Sigmon used the cameras inside the business to check the damage.
“When she got on the camera, we saw black smoke. I dialed 911 then,” Mike Sigmon recalled.
“The telephone calls coming in were just insane,” Mike Sigmon said of the calls to alert him of the blaze.
Racing to the shop, Mike Sigmon initially believed he could contain the fire himself, but when he topped the hill from Collinsville, saw the rising smoke and fire trucks already on the scene, “I knew it was too late,” he said.
Mike Sigmon immediately began assisting the fire crews, unlocking doors to the building.
In the days following the fire, the couple found themselves in uncharted territory as they dealt with insurance claims and financial setbacks.
“We didn’t know what to do, and in a matter of three or four days, the adjuster showed up,” Mike Sigmon said, adding that they didn’t feel well-guided through the process.
Ashley Sigmon described the experience as emotionally overwhelming, with months of uncertainty and no income.
“We did a lot of crying. We didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said. “Mike wasn’t able to sit still, and began helping to take out the windows and get the shop ready for repair.”
“It caught us at such a bad time of the year,” Mike Sigmon said. The couple went through Thanksgiving and Christmas with no income coming in but made sure their kids were taken care of.
“It may be easier to lose a home, even if your family goes to an apartment or hotel room, you can still go to work and there is income coming in,” he said.
At home, the couple put on a strong face in front of their younger children, but two of the older boys also felt the pull from the closure because they also work at the shop.
Despite financial hardships, the couple prioritized their employees, ensuring 90 percent of their workforce remained on the payroll.
“We can’t open this business back up if we don’t have everybody,” Ashley Sigmon said.
Insurance covered just enough to pay their employees — but not themselves. To keep the business afloat, the couple dipped into their savings.
“We did what we thought was fair, it wasn’t easy. It was a bad experience,” he said.
Mike Sigmon now stresses the importance of understanding business insurance policies, noting that their coverage fell short in some areas.
“Always sit down and understand your policy, ask questions about your policy, and make sure if it was a catastrophic event, you have coverage or enough coverage. We found out that we only had $5,000 worth of consignment coverage,” he said, leaving them responsible for hundreds of dollars to cover the consignment wheels that originally started the fire.
While the months of rebuilding were tough, the couple was deeply moved by the outpouring of community support. Mike Sigmon said he didn’t realize how popular his shop was until the tragedy occurred.
“Everyone wanted to help,” he said, adding that customers, friends, and neighbors brought food, gift cards, and words of encouragement.
Even as they celebrated their first week back, they faced unexpected challenges, with several employees out due to illnesses including the flu, stomach bug, and pneumonia.
“We had to deal with that too. We can laugh about it now, but I’m still sore from that first week of opening,” Mike Sigmon said.
Lee’s Tire & Wheel has always been more than just a business — it’s a family legacy.
Mike Sigmon’s son recently started working at the shop after school, and the proud father hopes to one day have six locations — one for each of his children.
But the couple are convinced that family extends beyond blood.
“Even the employees that work here are family to us. That was why the fire was so hard — here is where we spend most of our time,” Ashley Sigmon said.
Her husband echoed the sentiment, describing the tight-knit bond shared among the staff.
“We all meet in the mornings and have a group huddle. We start our mornings encouraging one another, we start our mornings in prayer. Whether we are blood or not, it’s a family business,” he said.
Lee’s Tire & Wheel is located at 1780 Virginia Ave., Martinsville. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call (276) 638-3240.
