Union Square - Somerville Community Blog

It's almost New Year's! The start of a new year means something different to everyone. Often it invokes feelings of joy and optimism. Here in Somerville, New Year's Day carries a special meaning. For on that day we celebrate one our local treasures: the Grand Union flag.

Many of you may know that our beloved Grand Union flag - our nations's first flag - was raised by George Washington on Prospect Hill, on January 1, 1776. But did you know that it is still celebrated by those who love our city most?

In fact, since she took helm at the Historical Preservation Commission, Brandon Wilson has worked to return the "grandness" of celebrating the Grand Union flag. A major celebration is prepared for New Year's Day, with a procession starting at City Hall, and finishing at Prospect Hill.

What a great opportunity to experience a profound piece of history, right here in Somerville! We often forget what we have right here, in our own backyard. The first shot fired during the American Revolution may have occurred in Lexington, but the battle lines were drawn here in Somerville, with the raising of the Grand Union flag.

At our Somerville auto repair shop, we look up and see the Grand Union flag every day, waving proudly, as if it's wathcing over us.

What are you doing New Year's Day? Why not get out and see the procession? Stop by Prospect Hill, and think about what the new year means to you. And how if it wasn't for George Washington and the Grand Union flag, it might mean something entirely different.

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!

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.

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!

We've shared a lot of news with you here at Mike's recently - by now, you've probably heard about the Boston green oil change. But I must say, I am equally as happy to share with you great news coming from one of our long-time customers.

Residing in nearby Arlington, for nearly 20 years Michael Prager has been coming to our shop for his Arlington auto repair. We've gotten to know Mike pretty well. When he told us he was writing a book, we were elated! Mike's book, Fat Boy Thin Man, was recently unveiled. The story chronicles his decades-long battle with food addiction - and how he made it out alive!

I can honestly say to you, that Mike's book is not only fabulous - it's authentic. You see, what makes this book so great is that it's a true story. Mike opens up like few people ever would and exposes the deepest and darkest sides of being obese.

Hearing the tales of Mike creating faux lunch order lists to bring into sub shops, in an effort to disguise that the entire order was for him, is truly moving. At the same time, this tale isn't some depressing sob story - as a former Boston Globe editor, Mike manages to integrate surprisingly witty humor, in order to keep the book entertaining and fresh.

Mike takes a bold stance when it comes to tackling obesity. He advocates that food is an addiction like any other. Further, he promotes the use of substance abuse therapy as the only cure for the eating disorder. After all, that's what saved his life!

This book really will change the way you think about food. Hopefully it will have a greater impact on our culture, as we struggle with a ballooning nation that has developed a perverse view of food.

So, if you care about food, health - I dare say your country, then buy Michael Prager's book. Then tell a friend. Maybe together, we can change our country and save lives!

This is a great day for Mike's Automotive, Somerville, and the region. Today, we introduce Boston's only green oil change.

Everybody knows that we're committed to Boston sustainable auto repair. But this goes beyond green initiatives. Like Mike says - this is bigger than us, this is about our community.

We're making a commitment to sustainability that is unmatched! Our goal is to make the green oil change the new standard in Boston.

We're kicking off our green oil change with a week-long push for sustainability. This week (October 18-22), for every green oil change we provide, we will donate $5.00 to our friends at Groundwork Somerville.

So, let's come together for sustainability and Groundwork Somerville. Tell everyone you know and tweet it up! The people at GWS do great work and need all the support they can get.

The race starts now and ends on Friday. If you are as green as you say you are - let's see you run!

Ahhh...sweet, sweet Somerville! Home to the - powerless?

That's what it seems like sometimes.The city - especially East Somerville and Union Square - has been plagued by power outages for what seems like forever.

Thanks to the fabulous folks at NSTAR, life around these parts can be pure hell to say the least.

Kudos to the Somerville Board of Aldermen for calling NSTAR out on the carpet!

The Aldermen voted unanimously so send an official complaint to the state Department of Public Utilities.  And now Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan is leading the charge for legal action against NSTAR.

Now that's a little more like it!

Have you noticed that you don't hear this type of thing happening much next door in Cambridge?

It makes one wonder: Will Somerville have the same luck once the gentrification fairy has completed all of her work?

I think the answer is - yes!

Unless of course, we stand up! And stand up together! That's what we at Mike's are doing right now. We've had enough of NSTAR!

Ever since we've moved into our Union Square location we've been plagued by power outages. Have you ever seen a car stuck up on a lift? Not fun! And definitely doesn't make for happy customers.

So, we're backing the Aldermen all the way! And we hope you do too!

Together, we are going to solve this problem - and Somerville is going to get the respect it deserves!

Have your own NSTAR horror stories? We want to hear them?

Strength in numbers! Let's do this!

Our friends in Medford have seen something pretty cool take place lately - a resurgence of the arts community.

A recent collaboration of two unlikely partners turned out to be a hit. The Medford Arts Center, Inc. (MACI) teamed up with the Meadow Glen Mall to host a photography contest.

What made this contest so unique? All submissions were to be photographs of Medford. Now that's some local spirit!

The winner was Douglas Shoop of Medford. His photo "Sunset  Solitude" truly captures the beauty of this community - a lone kayaker on the majestic Mystic river, complete with the iconic Saint Joseph's Church in the background.

What's even more interesting is that photography is a hobby for Douglas! He is an architect by day with a practice in Medford Square. Now that's impressive!

Doug even has his own blog where he showcases some of his amazing work - Douglas Shoop Photography.

The other great part of this story is the great arts community in Medford. The MACI has some amazing programs that enrich the city (and the rest of us).

We live in an age in which the arts are under-appreciated. It seems like every other day we hear that art is being cut out of school curricula.

What type of community would we have without the arts? Not a very good one! It's nice to see our friends in Medford realize that.

It's important for all of us to stand up and fight for the arts community, and to let it be known that they are just as important as any other group!

It's the arts community that keeps us from being number-crunching (or wrench-turning) fools! ...Well-rounded to say the least.

So, check out Doug's blog and support the MACI.

And remember - at Mike's we're not just all about Medford Auto Repair - we're all about Medford - including the arts!

So, I guess you heard about the flooding?

Well, we got slammed here in Union Square! So didn't our friends down the way in East Somerville. Most of us in the area were without power and some were even under water (can't really get your Somerville auto repair if everything is floating).

Have no fear, Mike's faithful! Like many of our Union Square compadres we are back in action!

But what a mess it was.... Check out these photos posted by the Somerville News. (Notice all of the water in front of the Precinct? Yeah, we're right across the street!)

We know you must have your own flood story.

Let us know - we can't wait to hear it!