I finally gave that little bookstore on Elm Street a chance after driving past it for 3 years

Had a terrible Tuesday last week - lost a big wiring job bid to a competitor underbidding me by $400. On the way home I was so frustrated I pulled into that shop just to kill time. The owner, a retired teacher named Margaret, spent 20 minutes helping me find a vintage electrical manual from 1962 that had diagrams for old knob-and-tube setups I deal with in old houses. She even gave me a 15% discount because I was her first customer that day. Has anyone else found a hidden gem in their town that turned a bad day around?

2 comments

2 Comments

singh.jessica4d ago

Found a tiny hardware shop near my neighborhood that I'd been ignoring for years - the owner knows where every single odd screw and bracket is stored and helped me fix a stubborn kitchen drawer in ten minutes flat. She didn't even charge me for the replacement glide because it was a loose part she had in a jar. Really makes you wonder how many good little places we just drive right past every day.

laura_white994d ago

Well I'll be. That reminds me of this old gas station out in the middle of nowhere I used to stop at. The guy running it kept a whole wall of random bolts and fittings in coffee cans. One time my rig's mirror bracket busted on a Sunday and he had the exact part sitting in a jar labeled "junk but maybe." Fixed me right up and didn't want a dime for it. You just never know where the good stuff is hiding.