David Ammons is retiring and closing his television repair shop after 50 years in business. Ammons & Brown is located at 1024 N. Broadway, just south of WATE-TV.
At age 73, David is ready for something new. And his wife, Sandy, has a plan. He can drive and load and haul the items she acquires in estate sales.
Although his business has been on the north side of town, David and Sandy live in south Knoxville. Both graduated from Seymour High School. After military service, David took a job with Robertshaw Controls, but a layoff during his first year caused him to think about self-employment.
“I started helping Mr. Brown, my wife’s step-father,” he says. He trained at the vocational school on Liberty Street, discovering he had a knack for electronics. Over time he has worked on black & white models with tubes; color TVs, consoles, projection models, plasma TVs and flat screens. He’s also worked on clocks, stereos and video games.
This pharmacy cabinet is all-wood with multiple drawers; each divided into four compartments. David Ammons says it’s over 100 years old.
“Televisions have become disposable,” he says, and it’s hard to find parts. He points to an antique pharmacy cabinet. “I used it for transistors. At one time I had it full.”
At some point the men split, but the business name remains Ammons & Brown. Over the years, David hired out to help others in the TV repair business. Most are now closed, and David isn’t sure where customers will go for repairs. “Just type into Google,” he says, “Knoxville, television repair.”
In 50 years, Ammons only bought advertising from Yellow Pages. In its heyday, he paid $300 a month.
He’s pleased with his business legacy. It’s a no-brainer plan to keep customers happy. “If someone came back with a television that didn’t work and I had worked on it in the last six months, I would just give them their money back.”
A customer used words like “a pleasure to deal with” and “open and honest businessman,” to describe David.
Another said, “Highly recommend. He’s a very genuine and decent fellow and he doesn’t charge to look at your television like most TV repair shops do.”
A third remembered that David monitored his answering machine and returned phone calls, even when he was sidelined with a triple bypass. “He said he would try to find us someone else if we wanted him to. … Ammons TV is the best in Knoxville.”
In retirement, David plans to hang out with his friends at car shows. He has a 1957 Chevrolet. He also will spend time with his grandkids.
David and Sandy have three children: Kevin, the oldest, and twins Kris Ammons and Kerri Thompson. Kris is a State Farm agent in South Knoxville.
Parting shot: Hey, who were your most famous customers in 50 years?
David did not have to think: “Barney Fife was in here just the other day,” he said, referring to Sammy Sawyer. “And (the late wrestler) Terry Landell.”