Welcome to The Lock Source

My Name is Cliff, and I started The Lock Source because I want to sell you locks. All your locks. But first, I need to re—establish myself, then win back your trust and then, hopefully, earn back your business.

I first started in the lock business shortly after 9/11 in 2001. I didn’t specifically go into the lock business because of 9/11, but, at the time, I did know that our world had changed, and locks and door security would play a prominent role in our future.

The lock company that hired me wanted to build an e-commerce website, which at the time was a big deal. In 2001, a “website” usually meant a static home page that had a blurry version of your logo listed next to your address, phone and fax numbers.

But before I could build our wholesale door lock website, I had to learn the business from the ground up and that meant starting in the warehouse, pulling orders, stocking shelves, counting inventory, packing & shipping. Soon after that I was doing Receiving and Counter Sales, Outside Sales and then Purchasing.

Once I understood the business I went to work on the website, and it took me almost 2 years to complete! (At the time, we sold many different items from Residential Hardware to Commercial Hardware, Government Locks to Access Control, Locker Locks to all sorts of Padlocks).

Once the site went live it was almost immediate success as orders poured in daily from new customers across the country! All the hard work had paid off, and it was clear that I had built a massively successful, one-of-a-kind e-commerce website that our industry had never seen before. We took a small local brick-and-mortar shop and turned it into a nationally acclaimed international e-commerce site, which has been copied by just about every other company in the space and still is today.

The success of the site drew the attention of the Amazon, who at the time did not buy or sell direct in our space. We were the first in our industry to explore Fulfilment by Amazon, before the “storage” fees went through the virtual roof! Back them, Yahoo was the king of web search and not many people had even heard of Google.

As we kept expanding the site with more and more lines and products, sales continued to soar year after year for the next decade until it made enough to attract the attention of the big boys (i.e, Hedge Fund Dudes). In the end, the offer was too good to refuse and the company, along with the website, were sold.

I personally stayed on to help transition the company and the website but left after a year so I could begin to ride out my non-compete clause.

Well, that Non-Compete Clause is Over and I’m back.

Back to the part about me selling you all your locks.

We started The Lock Source because I want to make our industry better.

We want to help customers source the right items that work for them, not the dead stock the factory wants us to sell you so they can clear their shelves.

We want to help customers source their locks, padlocks and electric strikes fast and at the best price possible (even if that’s not from me. Really.) I also want to stock and display the items I like best because they’re either easy-to-use or extremely effective. We are NOT going to sell you something I don’t believe in because I need to hit my factory quota. We only will sell the products that we find innovative, convenient and, above all else, safe & secure.  

Being an independent hardware and lock distributor allows me the freedom and independence to show and sell you the best items that I know and have seen work for my customers, time and time again over the past 20 years. We are only interested in working with companies that understand and share our same sense of safety, innovation and convenience.

I have grown up in the industry and, since 2011, have worked with dozens of manufacturers, and hundreds of companies and customers in all sectors. I know my way around this industry, I know where to look, what lock products to use, who to ask and how to get results, which is what I will do for you.

My specialty has always been sourcing the best security products at the best deals in the quickest way possible, and that is also what I will bring to my Lock Source customers.

I spent over 20 years in this business and 1 year out of it. Over that year I have worked with some home service companies and noticed something very strange: they value their customers.

They listen to what they have to say, they hear their concerns, and they try their best to fix their problems. They must because their reputation, their company, their livelihood is determined by their customer’s success.

There is only way to treat customers currently, and that is with the utmost respect. We need to always do our best; we need to be open and accessible, and communicative with all customers. Things might not always go right, the items they buy might not always be correct and they might not always function correctly. That’s life and that’s what happens sometimes. But, as a business, we must always do what we can to make things right. We always must listen to what our customers are saying because we’ve always kept our customers by being there when things don’t go right. Everyone can be great when things are going good, but the real judge of character is how your supplier acts when things go wrong.

Coming back into the lock industry after a year away, I don’t see much change. I don’t see a commitment level to customer service, with which the Lock Source would operate. We don’t list any lead times on our items, because once an order is placed, we will source that item for you, and then call you directlyto let you know the exact shipping date and lead time.

The Lock Source was built to sell you locks, yes, lots of different types of locks for lots of different applications. But our main goal is to be a SOURCE for you, the lock buyer. The Lock Source has been in this industry for over 20 years. We know the items, we know the factories, we know the landscape, and we know the clients. Our specialty has always been to help find you the locks and hardware you need the quickest, and at the best price and that is what we will continue to do. We know industry, and we know how to get you what you need. We know products, and we know what’s good and what’s just hype. We know the good deals, and we know the rip-offs.

Best of all, The Lock Source is not beholden to any factory or manufacturer. We won’t sell you junk. Every single item on The Lock Source has been hand-picked by myself. Nothing but the Best!

Even Better, I will personally guarantee every order from The Lock Source. If you are unhappy in any way, you can call me, Owner & President, and we won’t rest until you are 100% Satisfied!