Courtesy Hosse & Hosse
Scott-Ellis
School of Irish Dance Saturdays 10:30-11:00 a.m. for ages 3-6 11:00-11:45 a.m. for ages 6-9
Mondays 4:30-5:15 p.m. for ages 7-12 5:15-6:00 p.m. for teen/adult Above classes held at Eastwood Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 1601 Eastland Avenue Additional classes available in Brentwood, Pegram, and Vanderbilt University
Call for your winter maintenance or an appraisal:
Wendy Ellis Windsor-Hashiguchi, TCRG (615)300-4388 • www.scott-ellis.com
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November | December 2012
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f you have ever lost one of those fancy car keys with an electronic chip, the kind that cost $200 to replace at the auto dealership, then you may have discovered Hosse & Hosse Safe & Lock Company. The Hosse (pronounced with the ‘o’ and the ‘e’ long) folks call that a transponder key, which surprisingly, they can duplicate for about $50, even if you don’t have the original. Inside the nondescript building on Woodland Street that houses Hosse & Hosse there are more surprises — antique keys, an 1890s safe, car key templates back to the Model As, and old Nashville photographs, including the city police force from the 1930s and the police chief who shared the Hosse name. That may explain the long-established trust Hosse Lock Company enjoys with law enforcement and high-security businesses.
But sometimes the safecracking cases are Eric Roberts is only the fourth owner of this business, established in 1865. The Hosse a lot more fun — like the 1890s safe on disCompany is entrusted with a lot of private play in the front of the shop. It belonged to information, so the owners tend to stay on the an East Nashville man who discovered it in job for decades. “At one time we had the keys the basement of the family homestead that he to the city, literally,” Roberts says. was preparing for sale. The safe was full of rare The most security-conscious businesses silver coins collected by the man’s grandfather. request patented master keys made only by “There was a lot of money and silver in the safe,” Hosse. Roberts keeps a confidential register Roberts says. “I got it open and there were of who can duplicate those keys. His clients four compartments in it. We filled up several include the Metro police, court officials and a shoe boxes with silver coins.” high-ranking state official, to name a few. Many of the locked boxes customers bring Over the years, Hosse has also developed into the shop are not so exciting. “People bring a reputation for cracking safes. “We do it for in their yard sale treasures or something they residences, businesses and the government,” found in grandpa’s basement that they are sure the owner says. Normally, the work is needed are full of valuable things,” he says. Sadly, they because someone vandalized the safe trying to usually leave disappointed. open it or there was a computer malfunction The Hosse Company has been a Nashville with a high-tech safe. fixture for 147 years, so it makes sense that
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