Union Square - Somerville Community Blog

Life here in Union Square can be a little hectic, to say the least. The place we call home is basically the crossroads of Somerville and Cambridge. You would think this would mean that things are always moving slowly. But that's not the case....

The truth is Union Square is akin to a runway! Cars fly through this place like it's the autobahn, and have no regard for who or what is in their way.

This culminated in tragedy this past week. A 55 year-old Somerville woman was struck and nearly killed, right in the heart of the Square.

An investigation is in process, but regardless of the outcome, this incident should give us all pause. And we should demand that something be done in Union Square!

How much longer are we going to allow this traffic situation to exist? What if this woman had died? Would we make ourselves heard then?

This isn't about who is at fault. It's about a situation that has been allowed to worsen over the years, without consequence. Somebody needs to take a stand.

Today, we take a stand! We demand that our elected officials do something, before we really do lose a member of our community.

Are we in this alone? Drop us a comment and tell us if you're on-board!

We're pretty psyched to share our big news with everyone - we've just added a killer rewards program! It's a pretty big deal when it comes to Boston auto repair.

We thought long and hard about how to get the new program going. Not only what to offer, but more importantly, how to structure it so that it actually works. We want to reward our customers for referring us, and we don't want it to be a hassle.

So, what did we come up with? Put it all online. Make it clickable, and they will come! (We hope, anyway.) Now, it couldn't be easier to tell your friends about Mike's and get rewarded for it.

Okay - we'll get to the point. We've setup a new referral site for our current customers to go to when they want to refer a friend to Mike's. At the site you'll get your own personalized link, allowing you to share the Mike's love in a multitude of ways - social media, email - it's up to you.

And, the good stuff? Yeah, we're getting to that.... Refer your friend to Mike's and he or she will receive a FREE oil change! In return, you will receive a $25.00 gift card to Mike's!

Yes, we know - way too easy!

Seriously, we hope everyone will use and enjoy the new rewards program. Besides being nearly effortless to use, the best part is that both you and your friend get rewarded. It just doesn't get better than that!

So, check-out the site, or scan the QR code in the graphic above. Spread the word about Mike's and start piling up your rewards!

Something sweet is on the move here in the 'Ville. According to the Web site, The Feast, local favorite Redbones is hopping the tracks to Cambridge where it will open a rib stand.

Fear not, Davis Square faithful, the original Redbones will remain!

The new spot will be in Kendall Square at 300 Aethaneum Street. The rib stand will feature a much smaller (but still delicious) menu and will be solely take-out, with the exception of a few outside seats.

Redbones will make a great addition to Kendall Square - now all of the techies and VCs can get some down-home grub too!

We would like to congratulate Redbones, including co-owner Rob Gregory (who so graciously supports many local fundraising initiatives). Nothing is better than seeing a fellow locally owned, independent business flourish!

So, when in need of Cambridge auto repair, don't forget to swing by the rib shack on your way to Mike's.

And oh yeah - don't forget to save a rib for Mike!

What's your favorite dish at Redbones? Leave us some tips we won't find on Foursquare!

There's something exciting going on here in Union Square. At our Somerville auto repair shop we have a new neighbor. And we're psyched that it's another food spot!

Owner, Jose Garcia (of Blue Fin fame) has setup shop right next to us, with his new restaurant Ebi Sushi. That's right - come in for an oil change and grab a volcano roll next door for lunch. That's just too easy!

Jose told our friends at the Somerville Arts Council that he had been looking for a spot for a while. He realized that he had many customers from Union Square - but there was no sushi here. Well, the bells went off and the rest is history....

Ebi Sushi is more than just sushi. The restaurant offers a wide variety of Japanese cuisine, from tempura, to teriyaki, to noodle soups - there's something for everyone at Ebi.

And with a 4.5 star rating on Yelp, I have a feeling that Jose isn't going anywhere any time soon.

So, the next time you're in for service, or just making your way through Union, stop by Ebi Sushi and say, hello! Let's show Jose that he picked the right spot!

Did you make it to Union Square this past Saturday? We were there in full force for SomerFun - courtesy of Somerville Local First and Somerville Arts Council. It was definitely a little rough with the November-like weather - cold, rainy, and well - yuck! But we Somerville auto repair guys know how to have a good time!

We huddled under a big tent next to our friends from Groundwork Somerville - oh, so kind of them! The turnout may have been low, but it was still filled with great, local people.

We showed up with gifts for everyone! We had some sleek gift cards made that entitle the recipient to $10 off of our green oil change. And yes, they were quite a hit!

It was great to see the dedication of all the local businesses and friends of Somerville. That's what makes our community great!

And though, at the end of the day we were a little tired - and wet - all was well when we raised our glasses at the Independent.

See you next year, at what will hopefully be a warm and sunny SomerFun!

It's time to celebrate Boston - it's Earth Day! If you're familiar with us then you know it's kind of always Earth Day around here. We believe in Boston sustainable auto repair - and we make it happen.

Besides our in-house sustainability initiatives, we've got the Boston green oil change. And what better day than today to show that baby off! In honor of Earth Day, we're giving away 20 green oil changes!

What's the catch? None - we're just Boston auto repair guys who like to show the planet a little love too!

We're throwing this green party online - the first 10 people to retweet our Earth Day tweet,and the first 10 people to comment on our Earth Day Facebook status - will all receive FREE green oil changes!

So, what are you waiting for? Check us out on Twtter or Facebook and get your FREE green oil change!

And, oh yeah - Happy Earth Day!

Winners will be notified. By appointment only. Not redeemable for cash. Includes oil filter and up to 5 quarts of EcoPower oil.

In case you haven't heard - tonight is Groundwork Somerville's  Greening the City Gala. If you follow us, then you know we're not just about Somerville car repair, and you've read about Groundwork and how much we support them. Well, tonight is your chance to support them too!

The Gala will be held at the Arts at the Armory on Highland Avenue. You can still buy tickets at the door (until they run out - which shouldn't take long). In fact, they're only $40.00!

And what do you get for your hearty investment? Firstly - a rockin' time! We're talking live music from the Go-Flo Casuals, the Soulful Souls, and the Tony the Bookie Orchestra! Combine that with delicious organic wine and some of Boston's best beer, courtesy of Pretty Things and Cambridge Brewing Company. Do you still have to think about it?

For those that another reason besides a party, you can feel good that your hard-earned money is supporting a local organization that is truly making a difference in our community. It's not too often that you get to have a rockin' time and feel like you're giving back. Now that's a good night's sleep!

So, what are you waiting for? Call your friends and make it a plan! Then come find us tonight at the Armory - we can all toast to Groundwork!

See you there!

Winter can be boring. What's a city dweller to do? Our friends at the Somerville Journal wrote a blog post yesterday about urban skiing coming to Somerville. What is urban skiing? It's basically where skiing meets skateboarding. No, I'm not kidding. You strap-on some skis, find a hill, and the city landscape becomes your terrain park.

The crew from Stept Productions made the trek from Colorado to the 'Villle to hit the some rails over by the high school.

We Somerville car repair guys find Stept to be thoroughly entertaining - but a bit on the crazy side. In fact, one of the Stept mad men - Tom Warnick - broke his tibia while tearing it up somewhere around the Hub.

We'll let you know when Stept releases the footage that was taken around Somerville. Until then, check-out their video from last year's Boston-area excursion. And oh yeah - don't try this at home!

Did you see the Stept crew around town? Drop us a comment and give us the scoop!

We are so happy to kick-off the new year by sharing some fantastic news. And yes - it's that good! Our shop has been named an Angie's List Super Service award winner for 2010!

We are honored to receive such a prestigous award (picture Mike dancing - no, wait - don't!). In fact, this marks six years in a row that we've been named a Super Service award winner. We began in 2005 as the only car repair shop in the entire state of Massachusetts to receive the award - and we haven't stopped since!

It feels great to know that providing honest and transparent Boston auto repair continues to pay-off. Althought, we wouldn't have it any other way!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Angie's List, it is a subscripton-based online community, which specializes in providing quality reviews of local service providers.

We place a lot of stock in how we are reviewd on Angie's List. The community is comprised of serious people who provide honest reviews which are relied upon heavily by their fellow members.

At Mike's, we have pretty good reviews on most sites. But other sites can be tricky in that sometimes people who aren't serious reviewers decide to go on a rant for no good reason. With Angie's List, we always know we are getting a fair shake, no matter how the review turns out.

We hope you sign-up for Angie's List. You'll unlock some of the best-kept secrets in Boston - and you can give us a shout-out too!

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook!

If you've been following us then you know that 2010 was a great year for Mike's - we celebrated our 30th anniversary! We found a couple ways to celebrate our big day and had a lot of fun in the process.

We decided that we were going to offer an amazing value to everyone in the Greater Boston area. What better way to do that than our very first Groupon! People from all sides of Boston purchased oil changes for as low as $10! Now, that's what I call a value! The Groupon was tremendously successful and we've had the privilege to meet hundreds (and counting) of new people and welcome them into the Mike's family.

Next, we made a commitment to sustainability. It's not what you would expect from an auto shop, but we took an environmental pledge. And we laid our Boston sustainable auto repair initiatives online, for all to see.

We didn't stop at our in-house sustainability initiatives - we took our cause straight to the community, and introduced our Boston green oil change. We're the only shop around to offer a more eco-friendly oil change - and we do it for only $4 more than our conventional oil change. We didn't just celebrate our anniversary - we started a local green revolution!

So, 2010 was one for the record books. It was amazing how great it felt to give back to our community. But don't worry - 2011 is going to be a blast too! Community and sustatinability will continue to be at the center of all we do here at Mike's.

Looks like this party isn't stopping any time soon...stay tuned!