Hi!
It has been quite a while, and I had this urge to write you all about the happenings at Green Drop Garage…
Wow, It has been almost a year since we opened. It started with just Dan the mechanic and me, the optimist. A huge shop with too much space and not enough work to keep busy.
Now we have Dan, Casey and Jason working full-time, giving your car the love it needs, Danny greeting you with a smile at the counter, Muggs greeting you as you drive in, and Jessica keeping us all organized. We have been super busy, and we find ourselves cramped inside a small and crowded shop.
I got some advice to be a bit prudent and just stay the course, relax, and be happy with what we have accomplished in such a short time.
So of course, my ambition (and ego) told me to keep going...
We totally remodeled the interior of the shop to create more work space. The office has been scaled back, and the workshop has grown by about 1000 square feet.
Also, our neighbor, The Recyclery, finally decided to move out, and we took over the space. I am so excited to start another expansion into the side building, where we will have space for 2 more lifts and, ultimately, employment for 3 more mechanics.
I’m thinking of opening it up for drop-in eco oil changes (read: quick lube). But we will be totally different. No pushy upsells of unnecessary work, no elementary mistakes, and no free beef. Just an oil change and an honest opinion of your car's overall condition.
Anyway, we really do enjoy what we do, and we love love love being a small part of your life. We take so much pride in doing a good job and work hard to make sure you leave smiling.
TRADE YA!
***Speaking of oil change, I thought it would be kind of fun to offer a bit of a barter. There are 3 things you can bring in for partial trade when you get an oil change.
-Vinyl. We are setting up a record player for the shop, and do not have much to play right now.
-Food. Especially baked goods.
-Beer. Has to be craft-brewed. (We never drink on the job, but love hanging out after work and having a beer with the guys.)
*Here is the fine print: You have to actually put some thought into what you trade! Bring us a record that speaks to you, bake us a cake, fill a mason jar with homebrew. Sure, it’ll save you some money on your next oil change. But more importantly, we get to know you a bit better, you are more invested in the exchange, and our exchange is more unique.
More human.
THOUGHTS
On a more personal note...
I think, for the first time, I am sending this out to more of you than I have personally met. It has been an interesting experience to go from working on cars to working with customers to managing the shop. I don't think any school or book would have prepared me to do what I am doing now, or what I I will be doing with the shop a year from now. It has been quite the trip, and the shop has been such an outlet for me in terms of creativity, responsibility, and growth.
It is fun seeing the shop grow into its own, and exciting knowing that this is just the beginning of what I hope to see it becoming in this conscious community called Portland.
This whole process continues to feel like a dream come true.
I just never dreamed I would be doing this.
Yea I know, weird. All this from an auto repair shop.
Green Drop Garage, like Portland...
A place where work is meaningful, smiles are free, and where the journey is the final destination.
