When I first moved to New Richland many years ago, I was in need of a haircut. Someone told me there was a barber shop in town, so I stopped in to have Bill Robinson cut my hair. This was a fantastic experience! There were other gentlemen there, and the conversation was animated at times, but always cordial. There may have been some that were there for a haircut, but most were just there to shoot the breeze and solve the world’s problems.
It seems like every small town has a location like this. Sometimes it’s a cafe, sometimes the barber shop (though those seem to be smaller in number each year), and sometimes it’s a gas station. But the place I settled in over the last number of years in Ellendale was Al’s Body Shop, the best little body shop in Southeast Ellendale.
I got to Al’s Body Shop later than I maybe should have, but life leads you on paths you can’t foresee at times. When I met Michelle, her dad, Mike, was a car salesman and worked on cars, so anytime I needed my oil changed or some other work done, he would help me take care of that. Before he passed away, he suggested I start taking my vehicles to Floyd Davidson just outside of Ellendale. But when Floyd hung up the wrench, I needed a new location for the ubiquitous work that needs to be done on cars I purchase.
It sure made sense, since I was teaching in Ellendale at the time, to just bring my car a few feet from my parking spot to have Al and his son Mark do the work. And from that grew a great friendship with both of them that I treasure tremendously.
As I had work done at different times, it seemed like I never just dropped my car off or just picked it up. Conversation would always grow out of a random casual comment, and I soon found that stopping by without any car need would still result in a learning experience. It wasn’t long before I discovered that arriving at Al’s Body Shop around 8 in the morning was well worth my while.
In a world that is increasingly communicating via devices instead of holding conversations with people face-to-face, sitting with Big Al, Mark, and a cornucopia of personalities from the Ellendale area in the morning was refreshing, to say the least. There were times I could sit there and just listen for half an hour as various folks expounded on topics ranging from cars to farming to sports to world events.
I got to meet people that I might not have otherwise, people I didn’t encounter in other walks of my life. I got to know people and made new friends, something one can never have too many of anyway. I learned a lot and gained interest in topics I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. I’ve never been much of a car guy, but I picked up a few things, not only through those conversations, but also through watching some of the work.
That’s right. If I stopped by at a different time than the morning, I’d get to see some of the magic that occurred, whether it was fixing brakes or restoring a classic car. Every now and then, I might even be put to work helping with something that required an extra pair of hands or feet. If it was near the end of the day, 5 might come and go without anyone thinking about leaving since there was some good conversation going on or a quick finish to the vehicle on the hoist.
Naturally, I spent more time at the shop in the summer, when my schedule was more clear. However, the guys usually counted on me showing up if we had a late start or early out to school due to weather. Quite often, if I got home through the winter storm, I’d dig out and head to the shop. Big Al would usually greet me by saying I had arrived a certain amount of time after he predicted.
Now Al’s Body Shop is closed, with an auction to come this weekend. I know how tough this is, but different factors have contributed to Ellendale losing a landmark business. Maybe somebody will buy the place and use it for the same purpose, or maybe it will be used for something completely different. (The school could certainly use some more parking.) But this I do know: the service that Al and Mark provided over the years will be hard to replace, the company even more so. It’s gotten to be a little bit like the TV bar called Cheers: a place where everybody knows your name. And you’re always glad you came.
I hope Al and Mark find happiness in their future endeavors. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’m seeking knowledge on our first snow day this year or all of next summer. I’m not a coffee drinker, but maybe I’ll have to stop out at Casey’s with the emporium of entertainment that I hear resides out there. Who knows? Maybe I’ll make some new friends.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is akratic, which means something that is characterized by weakness of will that results in acting contrary to one’s better judgment, as in, “Despite knowing that the lawn had to be mowed and the laundry done, his akratic nature caused him to sit down at the shop for an hour, gaining knowledge.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!