MOORHEAD — Jamie Kinslow is a 30-year veteran of the appliance repair industry.
For most of those years, he did repair jobs working "in the field" for Homemaker's Villa in Moorhead and for the past four years he was service manager for the Rigel's appliance store in Moorhead.
In November, Kinslow opened his own business, The Appliance Guy, with his partner, Lisa Johnson.
Running their enterprise means "working for our own dream, instead of someone else's," said Johnson, who said Kinslow has a knack for fixing things while also calming the anxiety of customers dealing with the demands of life.
Kinslow said he understands how a non-working appliance can add to someone's stress load and he said that's a major reason he started his own repair business.
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"People in the community are waiting two or three weeks on service on their appliances and to me that's simply unacceptable," said Kinslow, who said he can repair a variety of appliances, including:
- refrigerators
- dishwashers
- kitchen ranges
- washers
- dryers
- ice makers
Some microwave ovens are also repairable, Kinslow added.
Johnson noted Kinslow is also certified to do refrigeration work, adding: "There's not a lot of guys in town that do the refrigeration."
Johnson and Kinslow said it bothers them when they think about how any appliances end up as junk that might have had years of useful life in them had someone tried to fix them.
"Two things," Johnson said. "One: you're putting an appliance in a landfill, which is a major problem. And, two: older appliances, they're better. They're made better, so if you can fix them, you're going to have a better appliance."
Kinslow said he considers himself fortunate to have grown up in an era "Where we had those 20-30 year machines. At least I have the know-how to fix them. They can go another 10-15 years."
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Kinslow has two sons and he said one of the reasons he started the business was the possibility one or both might follow him into the field of appliance repair.
"Hopefully, that's something the kids want to take over some day," he said, adding he worries about the future of appliance service in general.
"We're kind of a dying breed," he said. "There's no younger people coming into this."
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Johnson said she's hopeful more people will pick up the trade, adding that demand for such services is growing and compensation is on the way up, too.
"The wage for a good certified mechanic right now is closing in on six figures. I think that will stir up interest," she said.
Kinslow said they will often give customers an idea of what a job will cost and he's mindful many people are quick to buy a new appliance rather than spend on fixing what they have.
"As a service provider, I think it's upon us to be able to make it cost effective to repair appliances. Otherwise, they're not going to do it," he said.
The Appliance Guy can be reached by texting to 218-979-3033, or visiting their Facebook page .
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