Johnson’s Tire Service in Anchorage suddenly closes

Johnson's Tire Service in Anchorage had a handwritten sign posted on its front door on Tuesday that said, "Closed for business permanently."

The doors were locked and most of the lights were off when a reporter stopped by the Denali Street shop on Wednesday. No one answered the phone number listed online for the shop. Kelly Gaede, owner of the shop according to an Alaska Dispatch News story from 2015, also could not be reached.

Johnson's Tire Service once had several locations in Southcentral Alaska. Last year, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reported that the company closed its Wasilla and Eagle River locations.

In 2015, Johnson's Tire filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the wake of a lawsuit a contractor had brought against the company.

On Tuesday, KTVA photographer Nick Swann stopped by the shop and found the sign indicating the store was closed, according to his Twitter account.

"Yesterday they said I could pick up my tire today," he tweeted. "(W)as this a surprise to the employees?"

It's not clear how many people worked at the company. Bankruptcy filings from June 2015 show that the business had about 100 employees at that time.

The company's website appeared to be down Wednesday.

Johnson's Tire Service had been in business for more than three decades, previously under the ownership of Jim and Janet Johnson until 2006, Alaska Dispatch News previously reported.