Our History
Since 1911 the McElheney family has been doing
business in Toledo. William McElheney opened his
hardware store in a storefront at 1505 Adams Street.
Second generation ownership of the business was official
in 1956 when son Robert bought the store.
The following year, his son, William, came to work
full time. This third generation involvement was marked
by more than just the addition of a grandson. He started
emphasizing duplicate key making and general locksmith
services. Starting with one to two calls per week, the
business took off with the implementation of a phone
book add.
The locksmith service kept on growing and sales in
that area increased every year. William McElheney took
over the business in 1972 and phased out the hardware
ten years later.
The evolving McElheney business moved twice more on
Adams Street. In 1991, the operation relocated to a
former tire store at 1214 Jefferson.
The showroom area is lined with over 2500 different
key blanks which is one of the largest inventories in
northwest Ohio. Categories include foreign and domestic
automobile keys, and all the others for everything
imaginable. There are special keys for safe deposit
boxes, file cabinets, desks, luggage and on and on.
McElheney Locksmiths even stocks a collection of
skeleton keys from the late 1800s. We probably have or
can get a key to almost any lock there is.
In addition to key making, McElheney Locksmiths also
stocks door and lock accessories.
Handicap door opening devices , in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act, complete the
inventory at the Jefferson Avcnue store. A section of
the showroom holds a line of ADA approved notices with
messages also written in braille.
McElheney Locksmiths have added an engraving machine
to fabricate the plastic, metal and glass signs. We've
found that many of our customers ordering other items
such as name tags or name plates for desks and plaques
for awards or company names on glassware. This process
is effective for short run items and we have made some
rather unique items. Some of the fun ones have been a
wedding invitation engraved on a mirror or names and
dates engraved on a wine bottle in commemoration of a
special event.
Listening to customers' needs seems to be a McElheney
family trait and, perhaps, the real key in the success
of this particular family business.
But McElheney Locksmiths has evolved into much more
than a place to find replacement keys and fancy brass
accessories. Eight full-time and four part-time
locksmiths, including 2 generations of McElheneys, are
on staff to service and install a full range of lock
systems from the very simple to the more sophisticated
varieties. We service a wide variety of lock systems for
an even wider variety of customers from individuals to
commercial and industrial clients. Each of the staff
members is an experienced locksmith and several have
fared well in regional competition. One member of our
staff has taken first place for the past three years in
a Detroit lock company's annual contest. Four of the
McElheney Locksmiths' crew finished in the top 10 in the
same contest. Listening to customers' needs is a
McElheney family trait and is the key to the success of
this family business.
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