Don't throw those appliances away. William White wants them.
He'll make them useful again.
White is making a business-here in Atlanta-of restoring used appliances. He learned his skill from his grandfather Roy Larry and his Action One Texarkana appliance business of 30 years.
"Usually, repairs to appliances are fairly simple if you've got good mechanical skills," White said.
"For example, should the heating element of a clothes dryer go out, that's nothing to repair. But a deep freezer is one of the hardest pieces to fix. You've got to be a very good welder to weld in and around those coils. That's hard, and it's got to be exact."
White opened his business in Atlanta on West Hiram in July. With him is Tabitha White, whose expertise is taking the rough-looking appliance that is brought in and restoring it to a like-new appearance.
William White said he wants his store in Atlanta to look clean and attractive. When customers open the door, they are immediately flooded with the white appearance of washers, dryers, stoves and refrigerators.
And White has another reason for maintaining his business.
"My first reason for doing this is to be a help in the community. Someone who can use these appliances may not be able to afford a new one. Let's say they walked in with a $100 bill and that's all. I'll try to find what they need for that amount to make sure they are happy. It's kind of a matter of the heart."
The used appliance business is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and White said he is perfectly happy to make calls to any location even though he runs the store by himself.
If he's by himself, one might ask, how does he move those rather large appliances around?
"As you can see, I'm a pretty big fellow myself. And I have ways I can move any of them even though some of those older appliances were pretty heavy in their day."
Tabitha White makes another contribution to the family business. She prepares homemade pies for the customer to order. She charges $10 for each of her pies but says they are four times better than store-bought ones. The reason?
"They are made with love. You can't beat that," she said.