The Haynes Family Legacy

Huey Haynes II is evidence of a Cleveland legacy. He is the proud owner of Haynes Firestone, located on E. 135th Street and Miles Avenue, which is a business his family has owned and operated since 1975. In fact, the Haynes family has been in Cleveland for even longer. Mr. Haynes’ father, Huey Haynes Sr., moved to Cleveland in 1951. After visiting family in Houston, he decided to open a gas station back home in Cleveland with his two brothers, Willie Haynes Sr. and Johnnie Haynes. They opened their Sohio gas station in the Hough neighborhood in 1959. In those early years, all three brothers worked two jobs to support themselves and their emerging business.

After the success of the first gas station, the Haynes brothers began to open a number of gas stations and self-service auto stations. These stations were located throughout the east side of Cleveland and into its surrounding suburbs: the family had stations in Cedar-Central, University Circle, Union-Miles, and Warrensville Heights.

In 1968, Huey Haynes II moved with his family from Glenville to Beachwood–his mother feared for her children’s safety after the Glenville shootout that same year. Still, because of his family’s deep business ties to Cleveland neighborhoods, he witnessed the family business, as well as these neighborhoods, thrive and flourish. In 1977, when he left for college at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, he already knew that he would return to Cleveland and work with his father in the family business. Growing up around such a tight-knit family and witnessing their work ethic was instrumental in this choice.

After he returned home in 1983, he worked at the family’s gas stations. Then, in 1997, while his father was preparing to retire, he moved over to Haynes Firestone on E. 135th and Miles. In 2005, with help from Union Miles Development Corporation, he replaced the roof of the building and created retail space for a barbershop-beauty salon, a nail salon, and a martial arts studio.

When reflecting on his time owning and operating a business in Union-Miles, Huey Haynes II said that he loves his customers and that he finds his work highly fulfilling. He enjoys listening to people, helping them, and the added flexibility of being self-employed. He also spoke to what has changed and stayed the same throughout his lifetime living in Cleveland, highlighting that one thing that has stayed the same is:

The information in this post was adapted from a 2025 oral history interview done for the Cleveland Voices project. The link to the full interview is here.