Charlie
Charlie is the tool repair guy I've used for the last 3-4 years or so.
Charlie has retired from two previous careers and just can't spend his days playing golf or sitting still or being "retired".
So he works on tools. Not only does he work on them, he can actually fix them. Most of the time. If they can't be fixed without breaking the bank, or if parts aren't readily accessible, they go into the parts bin.
You see, Charlie has this great little business tucked into a rather decrepit building in a not-so-friendly part of town. But he's the only guy I've found who can work on any type or brand of power tool be it electric, pneumatic or hydraulic.
His shop is one of those little places you see and never notice while you're on your way to someplace else. There's a jar of pickled eggs on the counter, a fridge full of Dr. Pepper and Pepsi and a candy jar overflowing with Tootsie Rolls and Double Bubble bubble gum - all there for the taking.
The shop floor is riddled with holes from hammer drills; covered with shavings from wood & metal where he's tested sawzalls, drills, pipe threaders, circular saws and just about anything else you can imagine from the power tool world. But it's not the tools that make Charlie's shop interesting. It's the people & the relationships he's developed over the years.
The last time I was in the shop Charlie pulled out the BIG TIN of Planter's Cashews and offered me a handful (or three). Then he gave me the last piece of banana-nut bread his wife sent to the shop with him that morning. He's just that kind of guy.
And don't think you're gonna get out of his shop in less than 15 minutes. It simply doesn't work that way. It may be a conversation about his grandkids or plans for his son to go on the mission field or reminiscing with him about his days in the construction industry, but you can count on it being lively and laughter-filled.
I've learned that Charlie's survived sclerosis of the liver; built a 1957 Studebaker into a show car; loves golf (but only plays once a week); has been married for over 50 years; is a deacon at his church; and myriads of other information that most other people really wouldn't care about if they were interested in just getting their tools repaired. He's a fairly interesting fellow.
He talks about retiring again, and at 77 you would think he just might. He really wants someone to come in and spend a year with him learning the business and, more importantly, the customers. Then he would feel much more at ease knowing his customers would still have Tootsie Rolls, bubble gum, Dr. Pepper and some talkative young whippersnapper to keep their lives interesting.
It's a tempting proposition most days.
Charlie has retired from two previous careers and just can't spend his days playing golf or sitting still or being "retired".
So he works on tools. Not only does he work on them, he can actually fix them. Most of the time. If they can't be fixed without breaking the bank, or if parts aren't readily accessible, they go into the parts bin.
You see, Charlie has this great little business tucked into a rather decrepit building in a not-so-friendly part of town. But he's the only guy I've found who can work on any type or brand of power tool be it electric, pneumatic or hydraulic.
His shop is one of those little places you see and never notice while you're on your way to someplace else. There's a jar of pickled eggs on the counter, a fridge full of Dr. Pepper and Pepsi and a candy jar overflowing with Tootsie Rolls and Double Bubble bubble gum - all there for the taking.
The shop floor is riddled with holes from hammer drills; covered with shavings from wood & metal where he's tested sawzalls, drills, pipe threaders, circular saws and just about anything else you can imagine from the power tool world. But it's not the tools that make Charlie's shop interesting. It's the people & the relationships he's developed over the years.
The last time I was in the shop Charlie pulled out the BIG TIN of Planter's Cashews and offered me a handful (or three). Then he gave me the last piece of banana-nut bread his wife sent to the shop with him that morning. He's just that kind of guy.
And don't think you're gonna get out of his shop in less than 15 minutes. It simply doesn't work that way. It may be a conversation about his grandkids or plans for his son to go on the mission field or reminiscing with him about his days in the construction industry, but you can count on it being lively and laughter-filled.
I've learned that Charlie's survived sclerosis of the liver; built a 1957 Studebaker into a show car; loves golf (but only plays once a week); has been married for over 50 years; is a deacon at his church; and myriads of other information that most other people really wouldn't care about if they were interested in just getting their tools repaired. He's a fairly interesting fellow.
He talks about retiring again, and at 77 you would think he just might. He really wants someone to come in and spend a year with him learning the business and, more importantly, the customers. Then he would feel much more at ease knowing his customers would still have Tootsie Rolls, bubble gum, Dr. Pepper and some talkative young whippersnapper to keep their lives interesting.
It's a tempting proposition most days.
posted by Raymond at Tuesday, March 02, 2010
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