A Columbus Lock Shop That Started on a Neighbor’s Porch
Seton Locksmith repairs, rekeys and installs locks for homes, vehicles and businesses across Columbus. Here’s who runs it, and the kind of work that fills the week.
Darnell Bell
Darnell came to locksmith work by way of a stuck deadbolt. A neighbor in Columbus couldn’t get into her back door, so Darnell spent a Saturday on her porch taking the cylinder apart until the way the pins sat made sense.
That Saturday led to rekeying jobs, and eventually to starting Seton Locksmith. Darnell manages the company today.
How the Week Runs
Monday opens with scheduling and quotes. Installs and rekeys fill the middle of the week, and lockout calls get fitted in whenever they come, because nobody plans to be locked out. Fridays go to ordering hardware and catching up on invoices.
One habit hasn’t changed since that first deadbolt: before leaving any job, Darnell tests every key in the lock several times, from both sides of the door.
The Houses and Doors We Know
Much of Columbus was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In German Village and Victorian Village there are still brick houses with their original mortise locks, on doors that have been rehung many times over the years. Those locks can usually be repaired, and a door that has been rehung often needs its strike and hinges brought back in line as much as it needs lock work.
Ohio winters add their own trouble. Freeze and thaw cycles swell and shrink wood frames, so latches bind and bolts stop lining up with their strikes. Plenty of “broken lock” calls turn out to be a door that has shifted, and a careful adjustment sorts it out.
Newer homes in the suburbs bring different work: keypad and smart locks, deadbolt upgrades, and keys that need to be sorted out after a move. Small offices and rental properties often want master key systems, so an owner or manager can open every door while each tenant or employee opens only their own.
What We Help With
- Lock RepairsLockouts, rekeying, broken keys pulled out, and worn cylinders, mortise sets and storm door hardware put right.
- Installations & ReplacementsDeadbolts, keypad and smart locks, new knobs and levers, commercial exit devices and master key systems.
- Maintenance & InspectionsCleaning and lubricating aging locks, adjusting strikes and hinges, and checking hardware before the season turns.
- Urgent ServiceLockouts, lost or stolen keys, a key snapped in the lock and doors left unsecured after a break-in.
- Car Keys & LockoutsVehicle lockouts, spare keys, lost-all-keys replacement, transponder and fob programming, and ignition work.
- Commercial LocksRekeying after staff changes, master key systems, panic and exit bars, keypads and storefront locks.
Where You’ll See the Van
The turquoise Sprinter with the gear-and-door logo works across Columbus, the Short North, Clintonville, Grandview Heights, Bexley, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Gahanna, Westerville, Hilliard and Dublin. If your street isn’t on that list, ask anyway: a call to the number on the side of the van is the quickest way to find out.
Got a lock that’s acting up? We’d be glad to take a look.