Think back to the last time you bought tires. If you’re like me, you went to a discount tire store and sat in the waiting room while they were installed.

Hard chair. Bad lighting. Dirty floor. Burned coffee. Irritating channel on the TV. Interior decorating by Goodyear.

Other than offering a decent price on tires–and competent service, if you’re lucky–the current tire buying experience leaves much to be desired.

A Twin Cities entrepreneur had a better idea. Why not make buying tires more emotionally appealing? Let’s replace everything people hate with something they love. Comfortable, upholstered furniture. Pleasing lighting. Carpeted floors. Wi-Fi, HDTV, current magazines, tasteful decor. Let’s let them order online from a huge selection, schedule their appointment on our Web site, or even have their tires installed by mobile service at their home or office.

A concept this different called for a brand with style and emotional appeal. So we developed Grooves, a name alluding not only to the functional aspects of tires, but also the smooth experience you’ll have buying them. Tagline: “You’ll like how we roll.”

As an agency specializing in brand creation, we have branded a few startup businesses that, for various reasons, never came to full fruition. Unfortunately, Grooves is one of them.

It’s disappointing enough not to see the brand in use. But I was really looking forward to buying my next set of tires there. Guess I’ll just have to deal with spartan waiting rooms.