![]() ![]() Jerry has worked on vacuum cleaners for over 45 years, succeeding his father who had a carpet and vacuum store on Broad Avenue. Jerry Pearlman, a South Carolina native who came to Albany in 1945, is something of a dinosaur. I dropped the vacuum off at 12:30, and by 5:30, it was fixed and cleaned to boot. I should have guessed that my vacuum cleaner was officially an orphan several months ago when I discovered that the Sears main store stopped selling my #5023 vacuum bags.īut the Pearlmans not only could fix my broken floor attachment, but also- wonder of wonders- they had the #5023 bags in stock. This was thrilling to me, because earlier in the week an employee at the Sears repair store on Gillionville Road informed me that Sears doesn’t even service their older machines- not mine, anyway. ![]() In tandem they promised to have my semi-ancient (24 years and counting) Kenmore cannister vacuum cleaner repaired by the end of the day. Jerry is old school, and Michael is “Old School” (as in Luke Wilson or Vince Vaughan- a cool college grad type of guy). I was greeted by the owner, Jerry Pearlman, and his son Michael. As I stood at the front counter leaving my contact information, I noticed with pleasure an old fashioned, wooden, mechanical (not electronic) cash register, complete with numbers on top. There I was, back in the 60’s, in the era of personal service, when we repaired machines instead of replacing them. So last Friday afternoon, when I walked through the glass door at 1004 North Slappey into Albany Vacuum Repair, I got both a pleasant surprise and a feeling of deja vu. I think it’s safe to say that most Americans over a certain age are nostalgic for the good old days of real customer service from human beings, of mom and pop stores, of a time when we valued craftsmanship and wasted little. ![]() In the end, it was almost an hour before I could get a human being to respond to my simple question about endorsements on a check- and this service came from the largest bank in the country! Seriously, I tried to call a local branch of my bank a couple of weeks ago to ask a simple question about a client’s problems getting a check deposited, and after about 10 minutes of not being able to speak to a human being, I started calling up every number in the book to see what it would take to have a real person on the other end of the phone. It’s great to have a means of communication from remote places, especially if you’re on the open road and need to call 911, or if you’re flying to meet family at an airport in Colorado and they need to call you- but gee whiz, wouldn’t you love it if teenagers and SUV drivers were banned from carrying cell phones?Īnd as much as it seems like progress to be able to receive messages at work when one is away from one’s desk or on another line- wouldn’t we all be happier if we could just talk to an intelligent assistant or secretary rather than being routed to voice mail? Of course, that doesn’t begin to describe the circle of hell one enters when calling certain government offices or large banks (press 1 for English, press 1 for customer service, press 2 for balance on your account, press 4 to get recent transactions, press a gazillion if you want to tell us that our outside bank teller is being robbed and we might want to alert security.). Going to Albany Vacuum repair is a trip down memory lane to the era of personal service- Owner Jerry Pearlman has been in the vacuum repair business for 45 yearsĪs much as we like modern conveniences, the flip side is how annoying some of them can be. You don’t have to visit all 32 winding rooms of books. Any trip to German Village isn’t complete without a visit to the historic Book Loft, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores. Green thumb? Stop by Stump on Thurman Avenue to pick up plants and other sustainably crafted wares for your home. Just a few blocks away, Vernacular’s German Village location (with others in Grandview and Worthington) offers women’s apparel, home accents, accessories and more. Owners Julie and John Jenkins became the latest caretakers in 2020. Since the 1930s, Helen Winnemore’s has offered a tasteful selection of contemporary craft goods, jewelry and décor. Begin browsing at the south end among German Village’s charming brick streets and iconic, well-appointed homes. For an easy-to-follow route that will take you through many of Columbus’ charming neighborhoods-all of which are packed with locally owned retail and dining establishments-simply follow High Street to great shopping.
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