After years of searching for a trustworthy mechanic, we found one a mile or so from the house: Holy Land. Actually, Peter found it. Probably on Yelp. This was five or so years ago. Anyway, it’s kind of a weird name for a mechanic, don’t you think?
Those who work at Holy Land are all of middle eastern descent, and I found the religious suggestions of the name curious in the middle of upper-class white Brooklyn. Was this a statement they were trying to make about something? I found myself judging the connotation before I’d even experienced the place. One car inspection under my belt and I realized I’d given all of this way too much thought. There were no statements being made. These were just nice, friendly, fast, trustworthy and fair-priced mechanics who chose to call their shop Holy Land. And I was silently embarrassed to have spent even 10 seconds thinking about the name.
But then I went to get my car inspected the other day.
As I waited across the street, I looked up at the awning of Holy Land and saw an “l” had been added to their name: HollyLand. Why?, I wondered. Was this a reaction to criticism, to some form of hate? Grasping at bright side straws, I entertained the thought that the owner just had a baby named Holly.
Oddly, the name has only been changed on the awning. It is still Holy Land online.
I should ask them what it’s all about. But that feels like prying somehow. Instead, I’m sitting here writing about it, once again spending way too much time over-thinking it. But given the (halfway) name change, my assumption is that other people were too, themselves included.
