David Goldsmith has owned Urban Classics Auto Repair, located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, since its founding in 1990. Host Michael Whidden took his first family car to Urban Classics in 2006 and has never gone anyplace else since.
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David talks about the automotive radio show he co-hosted, AutoLab, and his winding path to becoming...what we’d describe as...the Yoda of auto repair because of his thoughtful and deliberative approach. He started at New York City’s elite Stuyvesant High School and went on to University of Chicago and some time in Mexico City before returning to NYC to work with a friend at an auto repair shop on Central Park West at 110th St (definitely a looong time ago!), which inspired him to study at City Tech and quickly start his own shop. David discusses how he's developed a culture of care at his shop and what the supply challenges of the last few years have been like. He shares the story of how an angry Yelp review actually attracted new business and led to return business from the reviewer himself. Last, he opines on the state of vocational education in the U.S. and the opportunities that exist for a healthy six-figure salary for anyone who embraces the technology and obtains the necessary training.
David draws hope from human beings, saying that if you choose to, you can see we’re all quite remarkable and amazing. He sees it in the resilience of his crew and their perseverance through personal tragedies and professional challenges in the last few years. There are certainly rotten people out there, but there are many more good people.