Marcus Colaire and BackDoor Tires: "I Complete The Job...Completely"

First impressions – they matter. When I first rolled into the parking lot of BackDoor Tires in the fall of 2024, my first impression was, “Wow… there’s a lot of cars here.”

Truth be told, I didn’t know where to park, and when I walked into the garage, I had to ask the crew if I left my car in an ok spot? They assured me I was good, and shortly after, Marcus Colaire introduced himself, peeling off a pair of latex gloves he had been wearing as he worked on the vehicle in the bay next to us.

BackDoor Tires, next to the Gulf Station on Broadway across from the Norwood train station, is Marcus’ first foray into business ownership, and I can appreciate the grind and hustle. He’s put trust in us as a marketing and referral partner, and it’s clear a lot of people have put trust in him, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many cars lined up for work.

A year after that first meeting, we chat as a chill cuts the November air and the sun sets shortly after 4:30 – it’s been a busy day and Marcus is finally up for air.

“I’ve been here for seven years now,” he said. “I was working at another tire shop, and a buddy asked me if I was interested in opening a new shop in Norwood. I ended up moving here and it’s the best decision I’ve made because I love the town and they’ve shown me support. They love me.”

For Marcus, his early years were highlighted by working with his dad in construction. He was always good with his hands, and after his father passed, Marcus started street racing and fell in love with cars. Before long, he was tinkering with things, fixing cars and learning more and more about the craft. His specialties became tire work, suspensions, alignment and working with custom car owners.

“That’s what I’m known for in the Boston community,” he told me. “In the car community, I’m the guy who does a lot of custom vehicles.”

It’s not unusual to see three or more custom vehicles on the lot, just waiting for Marcus to do his thing, in the shop he has run since 2018.

“I bought everything in here, using money from my savings,” he said, gesturing to the hundreds of tires and impressive machinery lining the walls. “I bought everything from scratch, and from the beginning it was always about making sure we got the job done right. When people call here, we take care of them. If anything were to happen, they can call us and feel, ‘Yeah, they will take care of me. I know they will.’”

Like many entrepreneurs, Marcus puts in a lot of extra time, and shared stories of working, alone, well past 11 or 12 at night. When things aren’t busy and buzzing around him, he’s able to zone in and make sure even the most complex jobs are done to his satisfaction.

“I take my nice sweet time and I complete the job…. completely. I just take pride in it, especially when it comes to custom cars. I make sure that when you leave here, that it’s, it’s done right. Completely right.”

Last winter, I unexpectedly had a tire issue, so of course I called BackDoor Tires. It had snowed that morning, so I wasn’t sure if the boys were working, and nobody answered. In need of an immediate fix, I started making some calls to other shops, but less than ten minutes after my initial phone call – mind you I didn’t leave a message – I got a call from Andrew Stoller, the manager, saying, ‘Hey, this is Andrew from BackDoor Tires. I saw that you called. What can I do for you?’

He simply saw that my phone number had called and reached back out. That touch of customer service earned BackDoor Tires a few hundred dollars, and the outreach is pretty representative of Andrew, who helps run a tight ship and keeps Marcus on schedule.

“Andrew started coming over here about two years into the business,” said Marcus. “We have a lot of custom cars, so he would be hanging outside and he told me, ‘I can do some stuff,’ and I asked him if he wanted to work here, and he said yes. That’s how it started.”

I always like asking what’s next, and Marcus didn’t hesitate.

“I see us moving to a bigger store, more employees, owning the building,” he said.

Naturally, I asked, “You’re going to stay around here, I hope?”

“Oh yes,” he responded. “Definitely staying in Norwood, because people know me here.”

If you want it done right by a team prioritizing performance, now you know where to go – 145 Broadway.