Gary Kelley became interested in appliance repair at age 13, when his mother had the motor in her washing machine rebuilt.
Two years later, Kelley began working at Gil’s Appliance. Starting off with simple tasks like putting handles on refrigerators, he graduated to delivering appliances and eventually to repairing them. He began working as an appliance repairman at Neil’s Appliance in Pekin in 1982 and was employed there until the store closed about a month ago.
One of Kelley’s favorite aspects of being self-employed is visiting customers’ homes, meeting people, and learning something about their interests. While he retains close ties to his former co-workers at Neil’s, he plans to operate his own business for the foreseeable future.
Kelley’s Appliance Service is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 309-267-5174 or 309-353-9045.