Couple this with the fact that I’ve discovered the absolute best mechanic shop in Knoxville, TN (and surrounding counties): Knoxville Ultimate Automotive. Servicing Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus, these guys are amazingly thorough, price their services competitively and, above all else, have ALWAYS been honest with me. Their shop is clean, they’ve got free WiFi and, believe it or not, they’re actually friendly.

Seriously… I’ve never been to a shop like this before. Ever. If you own one of the aforementioned vehicles, I can’t stress how much you’ll love it there. If you have a blog, you’ll even be tempted to write your own post after your first visit. That’s how good they are.

I think I wanted to write this mainly because *any* business like this one, be it auto-related or not, is a rarity. Only once or twice per year, if that, will you encounter a business that’s not only cost-cutting but also friendly and honest.

Kudos to Ken and Rob Fletcher for setting a shining example for any small or large business… especially in the auto repair/maintenance industry.

Via @ac_ent, I just noticed that Knoxville has a new value book available: Knox PASS. According to their site, “Knox PASS was put together as a joint effort to raise awareness and funds for two local organizations that focus on supporting Knoxville and Knoxville’s Youth.”

The two organizations are Schools of FISH, which provides leadership and service opps for high school students (very cool), and the Youth Arts Alliance. Established by the Tennessee Theatre, the “Youth Arts Alliance education outreach program was founded in 2007 to provide an opportunity for school age children to attend performances throughout the year.” (Also very cool.)

Some of the values/discounts/etc that you’ll find in the $30 book-o-wonderfulness include 2-for-1 munching discounts at places like Taste of Thai, Baker Peters Jazz Club, Peerless, Crown & Goose and others. Additional discounts are included for sports (e.g., 2-for-1 Lady Vols tix), theatre (e.g., 2-for-1 passes at Tennessee Theater, Bijou) and more. (View the full listing of Knox PASS offers on their official site.)

Check it out at KnoxPass.com.

[Source: AC Entertainment on Twitter]