If you've ever worked on your car, you know there are times when a nut or bolt has gone missing. Or maybe you're restoring a&hellip;{"id":7115,"date":"2015-07-10T13:28:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T20:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=7115"},"modified":"2015-07-16T12:03:16","modified_gmt":"2015-07-16T19:03:16","slug":"getting-nutty-with-tmk-fasteners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/10\/getting-nutty-with-tmk-fasteners\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&#038;A: Getting Nutty with TMK Fasteners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you&#8217;ve ever worked on your car, you know there are times when a nut or bolt has gone missing. Or maybe you&#8217;re restoring a classic car and you need a whole host of bolts to attach all of the parts you&#8217;ve found in Pomona? Well, that&#8217;s where TMK Fasteners comes in. TMK specializes in nuts and bolts, and they cater to the automotive industry. We recently caught up with Thomas Kern, the owner of TMK and a Pomona Swap Meet regular. <\/span><strong><a title=\"Pomona: Area Map\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/swap-meet-area-map\/\" target=\"_blank\">You can find him on Road 17, Spaces 39 and 41.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0When and how did you get started in this industry? Why nuts and bolts?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0My dad started the company in 1963, when he came over from Germany. He was a machinist so he started manufacturing nuts and bolts, and then he started selling to the auto industry. I took over the company in 1997 when he retired.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7066\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7066\" class=\"size-large wp-image-7066\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-16-950x642.jpg?resize=950%2C642\" alt=\"Nuts and bolts... lots and lots of nuts and bolts!\" width=\"950\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-16.jpg?resize=950%2C642&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-16.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-16.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-16.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7066\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nuts and bolts&#8230; lots and lots of nuts and bolts! Bag &#8217;em and weigh &#8217;em!<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0What&#8217;s the best part of your job?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Being my own boss, and helping people get the best value for their money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Have you always been interested in classic cars?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Yes. My first car was a 1957 Ford Thunderbird.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0If you won the lottery, what&#8217;s the first classic car you would buy?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I\u00a0would buy back my first car!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Ford or Chevy?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Ford. I always have an F-250 Super Duty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>NOW TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0How can customers contact you?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0They can call 951-784-3002 or come by the shop:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 120px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2061 3rd Street, #A<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Riverside, CA 92507<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0How long have you been coming to Pomona?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0We started going to Pomona in 2002 to get rid of overstock, but then it turned into big business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Okay, so what exactly do you sell?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0We sell nuts and bolts! Grades 5 and 8, stainless, and all OEM. We also have SAE and USS washers, and lock washers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-7115 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2207\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?fit=3264%2C2207&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-7069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?w=3264&amp;ssl=1 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?resize=950%2C642&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-19.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-7069'>\n\t\t\t\tTMK&#8217;s setup on Road 17 at the Pomona Swap Meet.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2207\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?fit=3264%2C2207&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-7063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?w=3264&amp;ssl=1 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?resize=950%2C642&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-13.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-7063'>\n\t\t\t\tThomas Kern, at your service!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0What&#8217;s the lowdown on nuts and bolts? What does the typical car guy need to know?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0 There&#8217;s a difference between Grade 5 and Grade 8. Some people want the best, and some don&#8217;t. Stainless steel bolts have a lower grade, but they don&#8217;t rust and they can be polished to look like glass. If you want high quality bolts, ask me!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0What do most people buy from you?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Most people get Grade 5 bolts, and lots of stainless!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Do you sell anything else? Any other products?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Yes, I also sell Auveco parts, which are all original car parts. And I carry hose clamps, 3M electrical tape, and Champion drill bits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0What separates you from the competition?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Service and price. We cater to the auto industry. And we sell everything by weight. You can buy one bolt, or a thousand. I don&#8217;t care if the bag is mixed or kept separate, I just weigh it with a smile on my face. Most of my customers have been buying from me for as long as I&#8217;ve been coming to Pomona&#8230; because I treat them fairly, and I give the best price and value for their money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Do you offer any special swap meet deals or discounts?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0We sell by the weight, which is why everyone keeps coming back. But, yes, I give a lot of volume discounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Anything else that customers should know?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong>TK:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I guarantee all of my products and will take anything back. My salesman can also come to you to stock your shop. And we ship all over the country. If I don&#8217;t have something you need out in Pomona, just let me know and I can get it for you. We do special orders, and if you call by the Wednesday of the show week, I can bring whatever you need to Pomona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Working on a classic car, you know you&#8217;re going to need nuts and bolts. Plan ahead, figure out what you need, and come see Thomas and TMK Fasteners at the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show. He&#8217;ll be on\u00a0<\/span><strong><a title=\"Pomona: Area Map\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/swap-meet-area-map\/\" target=\"_blank\">Road 17, Spaces 39 and 41!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-7115 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2207\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?fit=3264%2C2207&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?w=3264&amp;ssl=1 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?resize=950%2C642&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-18.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2207\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?fit=3264%2C2207&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?w=3264&amp;ssl=1 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?resize=950%2C642&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/June-Letter-14.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl 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