Canadian Tire's Unknown History
copyright 2007 - Murphy
Canadian Tire has been a tradition in our country since 1922. Many people don't know the true story of how it started however.
Canadian Tire wasn't always Canadian. In fact, it's a Cinderella story of old Russian, Romanian and German tires that emigrated from the highways of Europe to find freedom on the open roads of North America.
In the beginning, it was Tolya Olgev, not Sandy McTire, whose face graced the front of Canadian Tire money. I should also tell you that, in the early 1920s, it wasn't called Canadian Tire either. The store (there was only one) was Tolya's Tires, a small, nondescript building in downtown Toronto. They sold car and bicycle parts to the public in "Sektor Russ", the old Russian area of the city, on what is now Eastern Avenue.
Canadian Tire money was originally called 'Borya Bux'. It was offered in 1 cent, 2 cent and 5 cent denominations. Today's CT money works in exactly the same way that Olgev first envisioned it, over eighty years ago.
Well, almost...
Let's say that you bought a tire for $2.00. You would receive four cents in Borya Bux. That's two percent of the price. Of this, you kept two cents and two cents was given to the large, muscled, but not particularly bright boys that stood outside the front door, waiting for customers to leave.
Tolya Olgev came up with this idea after being repeatedly visited and beaten up by the local Russian mob boss. He needed to pay protection money. Why not make the customer pay off the mob and advertise his business at the same time?
After the demise of the first wave of Russian gangsters in the mid 1930s, Tolya's Tires kept using Borya bux. Why ruin a good thing? But the world was changing.
With the outbreak of WWII, there was a real need demonstrate Tolya Olgev's strong commitment to, and love for, the Dominion of Canada. Tolya Olgev legally changed his name to Sandy McTire. He chose this unique Scottish moniker for two reasons. First, he wanted to shy away from his Eastern European roots. Sandy McTire sounded very British. (The Scots were viewed by the world as loyal British subjects in those days.)
Secondly, he wanted to show people that they could be frugal like the Scottish and save money at, their newly renovated and re-named store. They unveiled - you guessed it - Canadian Tire!
Many people are shocked to learn that Tolya Olgev is still alive today. He is no longer affiliated with Canadian Tire and works as a Walmart greeter in Scarborough, ON.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn170jK6O4s
Remember this guy? For a few years in the early 2000s, Tolya's illegitimate grandson was the very annoying "Canadian Tire Guy" shown on the CT television commercials. Sandy McTire (Olgev) pointed out that this was the reason he left the company. He was constantly reminded about his "stupid ***" grandson, every time he saw a commercial.
Today, he rarely talks about the business that he fashioned into a Canadian automotive icon. The only thing he ever says, and the man is 101, is "My grandson is a real *******!"
--
Now you know some unknown Canadian history!
copyright 2007 - Murphy
Canadian Tire has been a tradition in our country since 1922. Many people don't know the true story of how it started however.
Canadian Tire wasn't always Canadian. In fact, it's a Cinderella story of old Russian, Romanian and German tires that emigrated from the highways of Europe to find freedom on the open roads of North America.
In the beginning, it was Tolya Olgev, not Sandy McTire, whose face graced the front of Canadian Tire money. I should also tell you that, in the early 1920s, it wasn't called Canadian Tire either. The store (there was only one) was Tolya's Tires, a small, nondescript building in downtown Toronto. They sold car and bicycle parts to the public in "Sektor Russ", the old Russian area of the city, on what is now Eastern Avenue.
Canadian Tire money was originally called 'Borya Bux'. It was offered in 1 cent, 2 cent and 5 cent denominations. Today's CT money works in exactly the same way that Olgev first envisioned it, over eighty years ago.
Well, almost...
Let's say that you bought a tire for $2.00. You would receive four cents in Borya Bux. That's two percent of the price. Of this, you kept two cents and two cents was given to the large, muscled, but not particularly bright boys that stood outside the front door, waiting for customers to leave.
Tolya Olgev came up with this idea after being repeatedly visited and beaten up by the local Russian mob boss. He needed to pay protection money. Why not make the customer pay off the mob and advertise his business at the same time?
After the demise of the first wave of Russian gangsters in the mid 1930s, Tolya's Tires kept using Borya bux. Why ruin a good thing? But the world was changing.
With the outbreak of WWII, there was a real need demonstrate Tolya Olgev's strong commitment to, and love for, the Dominion of Canada. Tolya Olgev legally changed his name to Sandy McTire. He chose this unique Scottish moniker for two reasons. First, he wanted to shy away from his Eastern European roots. Sandy McTire sounded very British. (The Scots were viewed by the world as loyal British subjects in those days.)
Secondly, he wanted to show people that they could be frugal like the Scottish and save money at, their newly renovated and re-named store. They unveiled - you guessed it - Canadian Tire!
Many people are shocked to learn that Tolya Olgev is still alive today. He is no longer affiliated with Canadian Tire and works as a Walmart greeter in Scarborough, ON.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn170jK6O4s
Remember this guy? For a few years in the early 2000s, Tolya's illegitimate grandson was the very annoying "Canadian Tire Guy" shown on the CT television commercials. Sandy McTire (Olgev) pointed out that this was the reason he left the company. He was constantly reminded about his "stupid ***" grandson, every time he saw a commercial.
Today, he rarely talks about the business that he fashioned into a Canadian automotive icon. The only thing he ever says, and the man is 101, is "My grandson is a real *******!"
--
Now you know some unknown Canadian history!
