After 47 Years, Tom's Service Center To Close In Wheaton

WHEATON, IL — For Wheaton residents, the sound of TKTK hydraulic car lifts TKTKT, revving mufflers, and heart-to-heart conversations with their mechanics will come to an end when Tom's Service Center closes its doors for good on August 23. The shop has been a mainstay in Wheaton for nearly 50 years, but for locals –and for long-time owner Dan Kullman— the shop's finals days have come way too soon.

According to Daily Herald, a developer purchased the property from the shop's first owner, Tom Niketopoulos, and will convert the space into a single-story retail space. Tom's Service Center has occupied the same corner in downtown Wheaton since 1970. In that time, many stores and restaurants have come and gone as the business world rapidly shifts, especially within the last decade. Tom's now joins the list of businesses who have fallen victim to the effects of progress.

The current owner of Tom's Service Center, Dan Kullman, has worked at the shop since he was a teen. Kullman told Daily Herald it was his first job — and he's stuck around for 44 years. Kullman's longtime loyalty to the shop he now owns is similar to the love his customers have for Tom's and all its mechanics. And that love will likely continue long after the last car pulls out of the bay.

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