A total solar eclipse will cover large parts of Mexico and the United States on Monday, April 8. Several auto glass shops in the prime viewing area have made special plans for the day of the eclipse.
According to a map on Astronomy.com, the U.S. path of the total solar eclipse cuts an arc from Texas through the heart of Indiana and across Lakes Erie and Ontario into northern New England. Astronomy.com lists Kerrville and Radar Base, Texas as some of the best places in the U.S. to view the eclipse.
Joli and Charles Greenstein of Kerrville Viking Auto Glass have given their crew the day off to enjoy the eclipse. They plan to be available for urgent repairs and some replacements. Because of the swarm of travelers arriving in Kerrville for the event, Joli Greenstein anticipates that will mean extra chip repair business.
Bruce Wilson, chief logistical officer at 1st Call Glass in Kerrville, says his shop will also be closed for the eclipse. 1st Call Glass offers mobile services, and Wilson says they didn’t want to deal with the traffic that day nor contribute to clogging up the roads themselves.
Despite anticipating more repair and possibly more replacement work after the eclipse, the shop didn’t stock up on extra auto glass or supplies. Wilson once again says they didn’t want to clog up the roadways for everyone else, so they will work with the supplies they have until they get their next shipment.
The Texas Almanac lists Radar Base’s population as 86 as of 2021, so it’s too small to have an auto glass shop. A couple of towns over in the same county is Maverick Auto Glass.
The shop’s marketing spokesperson Nereida Godina says the shop has already seen an increase in business due to the eclipse tourists, and they anticipate even more.
Unlike Kerrville Viking Auto Glass and 1st Call Glass, Godina says it will mostly be business as usual at Maverick Auto Glass on the day of the eclipse, mobile services and all. That won’t stop any of them from taking a moment to view the eclipse, though.
“All the guys are going to do is pull over, look at it, and then get back in the van,” she says.
According to Astronomy.com, the eclipse will start at 2:14:43 p.m. CDT in Kerrville and will last for 4 minutes and 25 seconds. In Radar Base, it will start at 12:10:26 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
