Arrow Locksmith and Door Company in Orlando was founded back in early 1979. This coming February, Arrow Locksmith will celebrate 40 years in business, proudly serving customers in Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Park and the wider Central Florida region with top quality locksmith service. We have always had a real store where customers could bring their locks to us to save on service call charges or browse locking hardware and safes. I thought it might be interesting to look back at our old shop on West Oak Ridge Road back in 1986.
Arrow Locksmith Service old shop on West Oak Ridge Road, Orlando Florida circa 1986.
Arrow Locksmith Service old shop on West Oak Ridge Road, Orlando Florida circa 1986.
Wow these photos bring back some fond memories. I was in my third year working at Arrow Locksmith and Door Company where I learned the locksmith trade as an apprentice. I am still here 35 years later! I still have customers stop in the shop to chat about the old days and why they have been loyal customers for over 35 years. The old green and white Dodge van in the photo was my service vehicle, before that we had brand new Hyundai Excels and prior to that I had to suffer driving a Chevrolet Chevette with a bad shifter!
Old key machines at Arrow Locksmith Service circa 1986.
Looking at the service and dispatch area of Arrow Locksmith Service circa 1986.
Above you can see a couple of views of the interior. The old shop on West Oak Ridge Road was tiny and cramped, unlike our spacious new shop on South Orange Avenue just one block south of Oak Ridge Road. I say new, we actually moved in 2004 after Hurricane Charley ripped the roof off.
The first photo shows the key board with our key cutting machines in front. The two machines to the left are still in almost daily use in our current shop! The second photo shows the dispatch and small service area. When I was not out running service calls I would be perched up on that raised section behind the three phones. We used to use 2 way radios to communicate with the locksmiths in the field, no cell phones or computers back then. Now it would be hard to imagine life without them.
Arrow Locksmith Service has come a long way in 40 years, always working to keep up with the latest technology in the security field. We are proud that we have been able to serve the community for all of these years and hope to keep providing locksmith service in Central Florida for many years to come.
