So I recommended an electronics repair place to a friend here in Austin.

[Javaman]

Mr. Wizards. They do great work.

Anyway, she has this component system that's on the fritz and wants to get it fixed.

So off to Mr. Wizards she goes. I hadn't been there in a while and hoped they were doing okay. They always sort of struggled along as "disposable" systems came in to fashion.

So today, she comes by my cube and tells me, "they won't be able to get to it until March 25th!!" Apparently, they are booked solid until then with multiple repairs every day.

I was delighted to hear this news.

Evidence that there is a shift not only in economy, but in peoples mentality.

I'll even go so far as to say, that the mom and pop stores of yore maybe making a slow return.

I hope so.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. I don't think it's mom and pop stores that will benefit, but repair stores.

More and more people are trying to get extended use out of goods they would normally dispose of.

[YOY]

4. and Thrift stores.

n.t.

[notadmblnd]

10. I know. I have a friend that is a Maintenence Tech

So far, he replaced my oven burner, my dryer thermostat and my refrigerator. He rewired the electricity for my pool pump, hung a couple of ceiling fans/lights and he's supposed to replace the guts in my upstairs bathroom for me.

They say a woman needs five men in their lives: One to talk to
One to fix things
One to have sex with
One to buy you things

And I can never remember the last one. So far, I have one to fix things. What do I give in return? I feed him. After he pays child support and pays his bills, he has no money left to eat. So he stops by after work and I send him home with a plate.

But you're right, 5 years ago I would have just gone out and bought a new stove or refrigerator or dryer. Now I have them repaired.

[zagging]

2. Or there's only one part timer left doing repairs

[ixion]

3. the return of the local economy mom & pop biz is one of the silver linings

I see to all this mess.

Let the giants fall, and the small businesses rise to fill the void. :woohoo:

[burythehatchet]

5. Everything must be based on a local economy in order to survive, Globalism

will not die, but it will be radially re-defined.

[supernova]

7. More flattened out would be good

I wouldn't mind a global economy where every mom & pop store was available to every customer across the globe. Not that the Wal Marts of thw world gobble up customers and real estate so that in any given area, they are your only option.

[supernova]

6. BBC America News had a story last night

about a shoe repair shop in Miami that's just doing gang busters.

Everything old is new again.

[SoCalDem]

8. I'm still looking for a person to repair my old Monroe Office calculator

The guy who used to fix & service it for me, died:(.. He loved working on the "dinosaur", as he always called it:)

[CrownPrinceBandar]

9. I can vouch for that..........

I fix TV's for a living and we're swamped right now.