OTASCO Ghost - Okmulgee, OK - Ghost Signs on Waymarking.com

On the rear wall of the building at 221-223 W. 6th Street in downtown Okmulgee, a ghost reads "SAVE" and "Oklahoma Tire & Supply Co." Those of you growing up in Oklahoma will well remember the OTASCO stores in so many towns.

Wikipedia tells the history of this well-known Oklahoma icon. "Otasco (Oklahoma Tire and Supply Company) was a retail chain specializing in auto parts and appliances based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It was first established in 1918 by three Jewish Lithuanian immigrant brothers, Sam (1898–1939), Maurice (1891–1970), and Herman (1889–1971) Sanditen, who opened the first Otasco store in Okmulgee. The company moved its headquarters to Tulsa in 1925. In 1960, the McCrory Corporation bought the company. In 1968, the chain had 455 units in 12 states. In 1984, the firm's employees bought the company from McCrory, creating one of the largest employee-owned companies in America. In 1988, the retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which resulted in the closing of 170 stores across 11 states and the loss of 1,600 jobs.

As of 2008, an Otasco was still apparently operating in Beaver, Oklahoma. Borger, Texas, also has a store operating under the Otasco name in 2009."

OTASCO's radio advertising always started and usually ended with the sound effect of an old-time mechanical cash register and the announcer saying "Thank you, here's your change. Remember, you always save at your friendly Oklahoma Tire And Supply Store; Your Home Of Better Values."

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