With the economy in a downward slide, fixing up what they already have may be a better option than buying new for some people.
“We’re busy — real busy,” Howard Van Slyke, owner of Van Slyke Body Shop said.
In business since 1967, first in Turon and for the last 13 years north of Pratt on U.S. 281, he has weathered some tough times.
A wealthy farmer and implement dealer told Van Slyke years ago that during bad economic times anybody who does repair work should keep busy. It has proven to be true for his body shop.
A well-maintained vehicle can go 150,000 or 200,000 miles — his son’s red pickup has well over 200,000 on the odometer and looks like new. Investing some money in a paint job for a car that’s mechanically sound can make sense when a person can’t afford the price of a new one, according to Van Slyke.
“It’s like an old house, if it needs shingles you better put shingles on it,” he said. “Keep them up and they’ll run for a long, long time.”
Howard runs the wrecker truck, but has turned most of the body work over to his two sons, Lee and Chad, and two employees. His wife Marilyn manages the office.
While the Van Slykes’ shop is crowded with seven jobs in progress, other businesses in Pratt aren’t noticing an upsurge.
“We’re waiting,” Rodney Walker, manger of NAPA Auto Parts, said. “We’ve heard a lot of people are getting their old cars out of the tree row and fixing them up.”
Winter is usually the slowest time of the year for a parts store, according to Jay Bailey at Pratt Auto and Equipment, who said his business has slowed down. He’s not sure if the economy is to blame.
“It’s tough to really read,” he noted.
“We’re kind of insulated here in Pratt,” Henry Heft, who buys, sells and repairs used furniture at NTM’s, observed.
John Younkman, owner of John’s Shoe Repair, hasn’t noticed any impact on his business. He repairs cowboy boots and some men’s and women’s dress shoes at about the same rate as in previous years. The last two years have been two of his best, he said, due to a strong oil industry good crops for farmers. He estimates his business is about half repair and half sales — one wouldn’t survive without the other.
While there have been news reports of increased demands on a declining industry, Younkman said he is “holding steady” in an area where there isn’t another shoe cobbler closer than 50 miles. He also noted that most shoes aren’t repairable, they’re just thrown away and replaced.
Technicians at Quality Tech have been busy repairing computers, but with little competition in the area, they usually are, an employee said. There doesn’t seem to be any shift from buying new equipment to making do with what’s already on hand.
