Plaza Tire Service Inc. of Cape Girardeau will open a new five-bay facility at Highway 72 and 00 in Fredericktown on May 1.

Plaza Tire operates 22 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas. The group will open stores next summer at Perryville and Farmington.

The company offers full lines of Dayton, Centennial, Bridgestone, Firestone and Michelin tires, along with a full-auto service department, which provides brakes, shocks, batteries and wheel alignment.

Plaza Tire was founded in 1963 by Vernon "PeeWee" Rhodes of Cape Girardeau. The company originally started as a full-service carwash at 2149 William. Today, at that site, Plaza Tire operates a 12-bay service center, along with a 60,000-square-foot warehouse and 8,000 square feet operations office.