A little history
Arties Hardware & Locksmith, as most of you probably don’t know, is made up of two companies that merged in 2005; Hardware Mart Inc., and Aaron-Hotz Locksmith. Aaron-Hotz Locksmith was established in 1923, the same year the House that Ruth Built opened its’ doors up in the Bronx. Harry Hotz was the principal owner. The store was originally on 21st St., but moved to 14th St some years later and has been there ever since, moving to its’ current location in the Pratt Building at 140 West 14th St. after the merger that created Arties. Locksmithing back in the day was a simpler business; more skeleton keys, no high-security, and the repair of existing locks was much more common than replacements or new installations. Most of the ‘old school’ locksmiths were men of Jewish or Irish backgrounds who had trained as apprentices and then started their own business or took over running the business of the person with whom they had apprenticed.
Those old guys are all gone now, having been bought out or replaced in the last 20-30 years with a new younger breed of locksmiths. For whatever reason, locksmithing in the city has become the domain of Israeli immigrants, much like deli’s tend to be Korean and diners, Greek. Locksmiths have also gained a dubious reputation, some of it deserved, but in the case of the actual storefronts scattered throughout the city, like Arties, most of it is not.
Check back next time for a ‘behind the scenes’ look at what really goes on when you call a locksmith, and how you can avoid calling someone who feeds the ‘dubious reputation’ I just mentioned.
Arties Hardware & Locksmith
140 W 14th St,
New York, NY 10011
Locksmith NYC – Locksmith New York – Emergency Locksmith
Locksmith service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.locksmithnyc.com
Arties Hardware & Locksmith New York / NYC provides emergency locksmith services & advanced security solutions in New York for over 85 years.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island & New Jersey.
