09/17/2026
Not all days go as expected.
Yesterday, I was at the shop working away, pricing all the new things that have been coming in. Needless to say, we’re a little behind. This time of year brings a lot of work, and with new inventory arriving almost every day, it definitely keeps me on my toes!
In the middle of the day, two gentlemen from a company I’ve been waiting on walked into the shop. I had been waiting for an installation that was supposed to happen the week before, and then I was told Monday or Tuesday. Well, Wednesday came, and I still hadn’t heard anything.
And then, surprise, surprise… there they were. 😂
No appointment. No phone call. No notice. They had driven all the way from New Jersey and were ready to do the installation right then.
The only problem? The installation wasn’t at the shop. It was at one of the homes I’m working on, and I was at the store by myself.
I made a couple of phone calls, put a little sign on the door saying I would be back in 30 minutes, and headed out. My plan was simple. Let them in, go over everything, and get right back to the shop.
Thirty minutes. I could do that.
Well… not all days go as expected.
I got everything settled with the installers, got back in my car to head to the shop, and discovered I had a flat tire.
My little 30 minute trip had suddenly turned into quite the adventure.
I checked on getting an Uber back to the store, but it was over $50, and I would still have a car sitting there with a flat tire. So I walked about half a mile to the nearest AutoZone, bought a flat tire kit, walked back, got the tire temporarily taken care of, drove over to AutoZone to get enough air in it, and finally started making my way back to the shop.
A couple of hours later.
So much for my little “Back in 30 minutes” sign. 😂
But here’s the part of the story that made the whole day a little sweeter.
While I was dealing with all of this, one of our dear customers called me. He had stopped by the shop, saw my sign, went to have lunch at Kathy’s Cafe, and when he came back and saw that my 30 minute sign was still there, he called.
Not because he needed something from the store.
He wanted to make sure I was okay.
Then he told me, “You have my number. Next time, call me. I’ll come get you. Whatever you need.”
That stayed with me.
This is one of the things I love about living in a small town and owning a small business here. Somewhere along the way, the people who walk through our doors stop feeling like customers.
You become friends. You look out for us. You celebrate with us. And apparently, you’re even willing to come rescue us when we’re stranded with a flat tire. 😂
Sometimes, you become family.
And if you happened to stop by during those “30 minutes” (which turned into about two hours 😬), we so apologize!
The good news is, I made it back, the tire survived, and we’re here today ready for you. Fresh John Dough sourdough has arrived too!
Come see us today. I promise I have no plans to leave the shop… and hopefully, no more flat tires. 😂
Thank you for being so understanding, for looking out for us, and most of all, thank you for being Our People. It means more to us than you probably know.
What’s something you love about living in a small town? 🤍
