Be Local: Appliance repairers finding steady work during pandemic
Editor’s note: This is a weekly series focusing on the importance of buying local.
Christopher Thorpe is a one-of-a-kind type of guy.
The fact is, Thorpe – owner of C.J.’s Appliance Service – is one of a very few who will repair home appliances willingly and effectively these days.
After working in the business for 10 years, Thorpe struck out on his own this past year and has becomes a popular soul in his coverage area that includes the Mon Valley, Canonsburg, Washington, parts of the South Hills (Bethel Park, McMurray, Peters Township and South Park) and Brentwood.
“It’s difficult to do because there is not a lot of training for appliance repairmen,” Thorpe said. “I was fortunate. I learned about this at a young age and I had some experience. The learning I did when I was young gave me a good foundation.
“The volume of work depends on the season. But there is a dire need for appliance repairmen.”
Many businesses have asked customers to remain patient for delivery of new appliances, which is some cases may take five or six months for a refrigerator or dishwasher.
Local suppliers such as Sprowls City Appliance and TV, Washington, and Highway Appliance Co., Dunlevy, service appliances that were purchased from their store.
Thorpe said many people are “hanging on” to their appliances now because of the lack of readily available new replacements.
Thorpe remains upbeat and ready.
“The availability of parts is getting better,” he said. “I’m pretty steady (as for workload) right now. People are holding on to their appliances. They want to fix them now rather than try and find and buy something new.
“My job is fulfilling. I want to help people them by fixing their problem and to help them save some money by repairing an appliance than having to try and get a new one. A lot of times a repair would just cost one-third of what they would pay to replace.”
Early in the pandemic, appliance suppliers witnessed escalating demand for appliance repair. Machines — and the parts that compose them — became scarce because of trade disputes with China and Germany, shuttered factories and manufacturers converting to make protective equipment.
The strain of relentless domesticity has showed up in overworked or, in some cases, previously untouched appliances. America’s stay-at-home workers cook for themselves, open the refrigerator to mine for snacks and have traded dry-cleaned suits with sweat clothes and T-shirts. The machines can take only so much of the vastly increased work.
“Most of what I’m called on for is an easy fix,” Thorpe said. “But if I go in and see something leaking oil or water, that’s when buying something might be needed.”
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Chris Slota at 724-225-1326 or by email at chris@belocal.net. Discount cards are available at the Observer-Reporter and Almanac office, 122 S. Main St., Washington.