Fellow Bricksters,

I'm posting this in the RWD forum because there isn't really a "general" forum here, besides "Opinions" which didn't really seem the best fit. Maybe I should post a message over there too, though.

I've been buying my Volvo parts from John at VPI since I moved to Houston, some 14 years ago. Several years back, he merged his business with TAP -- Texas Automotive Performance -- which was a move I never really cared for, but hey, it was literally his business. Well, it's been about a year or so since I've needed any repair parts, but now I do. So I called TAP/VPI today and got a "Hello?" on the parts line instead of the "Volvo parts, John," that I was used to. Sounded like the guy was surprised to get the call. I verified it was "Volvo Parts," gave him my information and what I needed, and he said he'd have to get back to me, which he never did. Something didn't feel right, so I asked if John was there, and he said, no, and so I asked if he still worked there, and he said, no that he no longer works there. Well I didn't want to get any nosier than that, but maybe I will if he ever calls back.

I'm hoping to find that John has set up business again, doing what he was so good at, as a small, independent seller of Volvo parts. I've gone out on the 'net, looking for traces of his possible new business, but all I'm finding so far are references to the merged business name, ie, TAP-VPI.

So I thought I'd ask the brickmind and see if anyone here knew what John was up to these days. So -- anybody got a clue?