A slap bass could score the following endorsement of these two excellent businesses, but only due to the Seinfeldian nature of my life.
I called Josef’s Gyros recently to order a hummus platter and one of their extremely fresh Greek Salads.
“Could you describe your car?” the gentleman asked.
“Could I!” I thought and sat up a little straighter, recalling, once again, that one of the few perks of this pandemic is how often I get to describe my car for curbside pickup purposes.
“Well, it’s adorable,” I began. “It’s a Bug.”
“A what?”
“A 2004 Volkswagen Beetle.”
The gentleman was not impressed.
“Color?” he asked without enthusiasm.
“Blue mist metallic,” I responded promptly and ridiculously even to my own ears.
I get that not everyone loves my car, that people are busy and have other areas of interest and that’s definitely ok.
Because I know someone who loves my car even more than I do.
His name is Michael Shoemaker and he owns The Euro Shop, an excellent used car and car repair shop located on College Avenue in Appleton. I first introduced Michael to my Bug during times of trouble and he restored her with care and expertise. Earlier this summer, he fixed the air conditioner and did a bunch of other things that kept that 16-year old engine humming along.
(He told me in great detail what repairs he was making and why. In fact, we had several long conversations about Volkswagens in general and my Bug in particular. I just haven’t retained the particulars.)
A few weeks ago, I popped in to ask Michael to repair the rear taillight on my Bug. I had considered going somewhere else because I was in a hurry and didn’t think I had time to discuss the wonders of my Bug. Shame on me, though, because get this:
Michael popped out that light and replaced the bulb all while giving me a little auto repair lesson. Then, as I reached for my wallet, he said, “No charge.”
I said, “Are you kidding? You fixed my light.”
He said, “Listen, I buy these bulbs in bulk. They hardly cost anything and how much time did I spend repairing it, five minutes?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “But you did spend that time.”
“Just make sure you come back here next time you need a repair.”
What a guy, right?
So, here’s my heartfelt endorsement of the Euro Shop. If you need a car, or have a car, particularly a European model, that needs repair, head over there. They’ll treat your car like family and they really know their stuff.
And, even though they did not fawn over my elderly but still adorable vehicle, I also have nothing but good things to say about Josef’s Gyros. I particularly love their Falafel Salad but everything from that little shop downtown is fresh and delicious.
