On Becoming a "Local" and not merely another "Just-Arrived"

If you were to see the vast array of tools filling chests and cabinets in my garage you might logically conclude that I am a very handy fellow. You would be mistaking.

Though I love building and repairing things around my house I have absolutely no aptitude for such pursuits. There are few weekends when I won’t be found working on one project or another, and few Monday mornings when I don’t arrive at the office with various cuts, scrapes and abrasions, all the result of my weekend projects.

The place every local contractor and weekend ditherer alike knows they can rely on to get them through virtually any project is Miner’s Ace Hardware, a local business with stores throughout much of the county. Sure we have our Home Depots and OSHs, and these are important to fill certain needs, but there just isn’t anyplace like our local Miner’s.

Of course the first thing the locals do upon entering Miner’s  is to amble over and fill up a nuts-and-bolts bag with fresh popcorn because, around here, popcorn and hardware shopping have become synonymous. Not only do they have hardware oddities not found anywhere else, but they employ experts in every department who can tell you exactly how to do whatever it is you seek to do. A recent example:

I was replacing a handset with an old one I had on hand but mid-installation I discovered that there seemed to be a piece missing. Of course I went to Miner’s but couldn’t find what I needed on display. The fellow in that department that day then pulled a bin out from under the counter which was filled with all kinds of miscellaneous odds and ends. After a little rummaging he came up with something that seemed close to what I needed. “Take it home and try it,” he said. “If it works just come back and pay for it tomorrow and if it doesn’t work just bring it back and we’ll try something else.”

Well, it didn’t work so I returned and he then spent the next half hour pulling out and digging through bin after bin of lock and handset parts until finding just the part I needed. Total time invested in this project by this Miner’s employee over two days:  about 45 minutes. Cost of the sale resulting: just under two dollars. As he was digging he reminded me, “We never throw anything out because you never know when someone is going to need something like this.”

That’s not the sort of experience you can expect anyplace but Miner’s Ace Hardware and you’re well-advised to keep them in mind.

Do you have a question about living here?  Ask it here.

If you’re visiting this blog with the expectation of reading a lot of minutiae about life, be warned that you will be disappointed. This writer’s life just isn’t interesting enough to dwell upon. You might want to try some other blog.
On the other hand, if you’re seriously contemplating a move to our incredible Central Coast, you might want to bookmark this location. The premise behind this blog is really very simple. The question posited to long-time local residents is this – If a close friend or family member were moving here, what advice would you, as a local, offer them?
Additionally, there are certain real estate issues that may be unique to our community and our local markets. Locals may be familiar with many of these but folks moving from other locales need to become familiar with them as well if they expect to slide seamlessly into the fabric of our community.
Ours is a very open and welcoming community, but locals do relate to other locals a little differently than they relate to “just-arriveds.” Our goal is to turn you into a local just as quickly as possible and to get you out enjoying all that our Central Coast has to offer, so stay tuned.

Do you have a question about living here? Ask it here.