a love letter to Empire Oil.

Dear Empire Oil,

I never thought I would love an oil change business. But here we are.

Before I knew you, getting an oil change was equivalent to getting a tooth pulled. I had to make an appointment somewhere, and the process inevitably took twice the time I had initially budgeted. I would sit uncomfortably in a smelly waiting room for two hours, quietly reading my library book and wishing for death. Yes, these oil changes were affordable on my then-meager salary (this was 2010, after all), but they did cost me an entire evening. I hated getting my oil changed, and thus had it done far less often than I should have.

But then? You, Empire Oil. You came into my life.

I don’t remember why I first stopped in the small shop. Perhaps it was the lure of a fifteen-minute oil change, and perhaps it was that I had not had an oil change in quite some time. I do know that I had reached the point in my life where my time was beginning to be valuable to me, making me more willing to pay extra for things like fast oil changes.

So I stopped at Empire Oil, not anticipating this would change my car maintenance life.

As I pulled in the bay, I was met with three or four eager employees, every which of whom was incredibly polite. I sat in the modest waiting room for no more than ten minutes when it was announced my car was ready to go. Stunned, I stepped up to pay the bill. Not only was my oil changed, but every last thing on my car was checked, cleaned, and topped off.

Since that day, I have never looked back.

I have gotten countless oil changes at Empire Oil, and each one has been just as pleasant as the first. Never has an oil change taken the full fifteen minutes, even when every bay was full. The Empire Oil employees are the most polite group of people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. And that’s what keeps me coming back.

So, my dear Empire Oil, as long as I live in your vicinity, rest assured I will never leave you. Should my life take me away from the Sioux Falls area, I know I will never find an oil change place like you.

Forever yours,

Calla