Local News
Friday, November 20, 2009
Man makes business tickStaff Writer
In his youth, John Kromer had an insatiable desire to know how things worked.
This curiosity often resulted in broken toys with no hope of ever being put back together again.
"Lots of times I couldn't get them back together, but I just couldn't help but take them apart," Kromer said.
That glimmer of wonder and excitement still shines in his eyes today as he explains how, despite the many different careers he's had, clock repair will always be one of his greatest passions in life.
On Thursday, Kromer opened his business, Kromer's Clock Repair, from his home to downtown Fostoria, opening shop at 113 W. Center St.
"I love all things mechanical," he said. "You just can't help but think about something and wonder if you can take it apart and see how it works."
His journey to owning and operating his own repair shop was not a short one, however. A career in education took him from Fostoria, where he was born and raised, to Findlay and later to Bartstown, Ky., where he was the principal of a vocational school. All the while, Kromer owned farming land in these various pit stops on the road of life, where he raised cattle, sheep and Boer goats.
After retiring from the field of education, Kromer took up the small trades at a surgical equipment manufacturer where he began his professional career in repairs. His knowledge of small mechanical objects had been entirely self-taught until that point, but he became familiar with fine machining due to on-the-job experience.
It was a combination of homesickness and the desire for a slower, more relaxed pace in life that brought he and his wife back to Fostoria.
"We weren't only homesick for Fostoria, but here we're more central to our family in Ohio and in Michigan," he said. Once settled back in, Kromer began accepting clients for his in-home clock repair at Walnut and Jackson Streets. After his clientele grew significantly, he decided to relocate his business to its downtown location.
Kromer's Clock Repair is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and by appointment all other days. To make an appointment, call 419-436-2298.
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Fostoria Review Times
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The Findlay Publishing Company
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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