Category Archives: Newsletter Columns

Tom’s Tidbits- Kayfabe for everyone!

Posted on February 25, 2025 by tomdwyer

Greetings, On Monday, Americas swore in our 47the president. I try to stay away from empty politics in this column and focus on deeper issues, but in inauguration week what else is there to talk about? There’s nothing more consequential … Continue reading →

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Tom’s Tidbits- Goodbye to Bob’s Red Mill

Posted on February 25, 2025 by tomdwyer

Greetings, I heard some horrifying news recently… Bob’s Red Mill was closing! The red building on the Milwaukie Expressway is an icon of northwest entrepreneurship, individuality, and progressive values. The passing of founder Bob Moore in 2024 gave reason to … Continue reading →

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What is a FULL-SERVICE auto repair shop?

Posted on February 25, 2025 by tomdwyer

How are they different from Specialty Shops, and why should you care? If you look around today’s auto care world you’ll see a lot of ‘specialty shops’, or auto service businesses that specialize in one small arena of auto repair … Continue reading →

Posted in 2025 February, Feature Articles, Newsletter Columns | Comments Off

Book Spotlight- “Ringmaster” by A. J. Riesman

Posted on February 25, 2025 by tomdwyer

BIG NEWS IN THE SPOTLIGHT! We always link our Book Spotlight to Powells.com so you can order the book if you’re interested, but guess what? The iconic Powells is great, but our favorite is Sellwood’s Wallace Books, and now there’s … Continue reading →

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Oaks Park Looks At The Next 120 Years

Posted on February 25, 2025 by tomdwyer

They stopped by the SMILE station to clue us in Sellwood’s a pretty quiet little neighborhood, but nestled down on the Willamette River is something you just don’t see very often… an amusement park in a residential neighborhood. Oaks Park … Continue reading →

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Popcorn Shorts for February 2025

Posted on February 21, 2025 by tomdwyer

Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of … Continue reading →

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Kyle’s Kitchen- Bavarian Apple-Sausage Hash

Posted on February 21, 2025 by tomdwyer

Flavorful, hearty, and easy… this is what you didn’t know you needed for dinner. Enjoy! Ingredients 2 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 4 fully cooked apple chicken sausages (or flavor of your choice) sliced 1-1/2 cups thinly sliced … Continue reading →

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Shop Talk- Should you tip your mechanic?

Posted on February 21, 2025 by tomdwyer

This month we take another dive into the deep waters of Quora.com… Quora’s question- Should people tip auto mechanics for their hard work in fixing vehicles, even though they are already paid for their services? Our answer- Sure, if you … Continue reading →

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Shop Talk- You’re worth driving 500 miles for

Posted on January 17, 2025 by tomdwyer

Heather C. gave us our Comment this month, even though she isn’t a client anymore… “I moved to Shoshone, Idaho, but honestly miss your shop. No shop compares. Whenever I can and am back in Portland, I try to schedule … Continue reading →

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WE HAVE A WINNER! And our 2024 Referral Reward $1000 award goes to…

Posted on January 17, 2025 by tomdwyer

When someone refers a new client to our shop we say ‘thanks’ with our Referral Reward Program, where we call them up and ask which non-profit they’d like to support and then we send that group a check. All the … Continue reading →

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