Unlocking Crisis: Behind the Counter at Colonial Lock Service Inc.

The Gosnells are one of those couples who spend more time together than they do apart. Not only do Gary and his wife Yvonne work together as co-owners of Westminster’s Colonial Lock Service Inc., but they also share a passion for caving.

On a recent morning, the couple shared the tricks of the locksmith trade along with what it’s like to work together in the business of keys. 

Names:  Gary Gosnell, Yvonne Gosnell

Title: Co-owners

Name of business: Colonial Lock Service Inc.

Fast Fact: This family-run business has been operating in Westminster for nearly 30 years. The Gosnells have been together for 16 years.

Company Services: Basic locksmith duties like changing locks, installing locks, cutting keys, dealing with card reader systems and card access. In addition the company deals with both business and non-business clientele.

On the day-to-day workings of the locksmith business: Gary: I don’t really have a day-to-day. It’s a different crisis every five seconds.  Yvonne: We deal with emergencies all day long. We deal with a lot of domestic disputes.

On a typical customer: Gary: When a [Vice President] gets fired. We go down there and change all the locks so they can’t get back into the company.

On working together as a married couple: Yvonne: (laughs) My office is in the back and his office is in the front. That’s how we make it work.

Working in the locksmith business, you must have some funny stories of people being locked out.: Gary: I’ve had people who we’ve gone out to see who have been locked out of their car. They are all upset and all we do is come around the car, stick our hand in the window, and open the car just like that.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?: Yvonne: There really is no exciting part. Everyday is a challenge. and everyday is a new adventure. Owning a business is a lot of hard work. It never ends.

What’s your favorite part of your job?: Yvonne: Working and getting to know the customers on a first name basis.

What’s something surprising about you that your customers might not know?: That we like to spend our off time underground. We like to cave. We go to West Virginia because there are a lot of natural cave systems there.

Have you ever lost your keys?: Yvonne: I’ve never lost my keys because I know how much of a headache it would be. But I have locked myself out of my car.

Do you personally own a lot of keys?: Yvonne: We try to keep it simple with our keys. We key everything alike in our house. 

What’s your hope for your business: Yvonne: (laughs) We would like to retire soon.

Colonial Lock Service Inc. 436 E. Main St. Mon-Fri. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 410-848-9332.