Howland man turns license plates into art | News, Sports, Jobs

Reporter photo / Howland’s Nancilynn Gatta Gary Kleiner bends down the edges of a plate in the process of making a five-pointed barn star.

HOWLAND — Gary Kleiner became interested in cars thanks to his father.

“I would like to say that my apprenticeship started when I was little and I shined a flashlight for my father while he was doing electrical work, plumbing and automotive repair.” Kleiner said: “My father was a child of the Depression. We’ve always worked on cars in one way or another. When I graduated from Liberty High School, we started legally taking wrecked and salvaged cars, fixing them up and getting them back on the road. In the ’80s, I financed my education at Youngstown State University by buying and rebuilding cars.

Kleiner did not think he would graduate from college and thought he was more likely to be in a skilled profession.

“I took a lot of shop classes when I was in high school. I could always use my hands. “I thought I was going into business.” he said.

While still a business major at YSU, Kleiner was working for his friend’s construction company and saw it as a potential path to employment.

“I drove a truck. I was working as a mechanical contractor. “I was delivering work and helping.” Kleiner said: “’I thought if I couldn’t find a job within a year, I would go into business.’”

When he returned from the U.S. Army after completing ROTC at YSU, he worked in construction for a few months until he was hired in sales support at Parker Hannifin, where he worked for over 29 years.

At that time, Kleiner’s father had started working on classic cars.

“Everything was going up price-wise and my dad suggested buying an old car. So I bought a 1971 Corvette. We did this again. My dad built another Corvette. We have many pieces left. We have a spot at the swap meet at the Canfield Fairgrounds. These were the days when people were waiting to get in, and it continued for three days straight. My father was retired. “He was successful at selling parts.” Kleiner said:

He had to decide how to move forward after his father’s sudden death.

“I enjoyed the swap meet scene. I made the parts for a few years, but I could see things were starting to go south. I got rid of the pieces. I had some really good vendors, so I thought, ‘I need to do something different.’ I started making garage art like signs, clocks, and banners. These were truly high quality American made steel signs and commercial banners. I did this for a long time at several big shows a year. he said.

Kleiner was able to turn to a new product thanks to a discovery he made at his parents’ house and his father’s interest in cars.

“My dad never hoarded anything, but when my brother and I started lightening things up at my parents’ house because we knew my mom was moving into a nursing home, I looked in this one closet and found a bunch of stuff. They had license plates and were in really good shape. I thought, ‘I can’t throw these away.'” Kleiner said:

She started looking online to see what other crafters were making from plates.

“I started to see barn stars. Most of the parts were pretty primitive, and I thought I could do a better job with my background in sheet metal and mechanics.” he said. “I went to Harbor Freight and bought a bender and some clamps. My daughter, who has an engineering background, figured out all the angles. I bend the edges and crimp them so there are no sharp edges. I took them to the swap meet and people told me how much another guy was charging and mine was a lot more.” They said it was fine.

He started his business, All Things Auto Art, with barn stars and then bottle openers. Kleiner later met a young woman at the YSU Summer Arts Festival who offered her a spot in her shop on Hubbard for a few months. His products sold so well that he decided to try selling at the Youngstown Flea’s inaugural season in 2016. It was a very organic process.

“I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have a website. I didn’t have a social media page. It was before Father’s Day. I would go inside and set up my tent. There were people hanging tablecloths, elaborate display cases, and curtains. “I just set up my 10×10 tent.” he said.

Their items have attracted a lot of attention because there aren’t usually many man-made items available at artisan markets.

“The nice thing about the Flea community is that they are there to help everyone. They said, ‘You should buy some tablecloths. You should do this.’ “I didn’t have a business card.” Kleiner said:

He became more organized and began attending other events in the area as a vendor, such as the Holiday Flea at De Yor, the YSU Arts Festival, and Autumn in the Woods at Hartford Hill Winery.

“I am using the third generation of some products. I keep tweaking them to make them a little better. he said.

Each five-pointed barn star has nine digits and 25 whorls to create it, he said.

He even takes special requests for products.

“On birthdays or holidays, someone will say, ‘My father was born in 1971. Do you have any belongings from that year?’ “he can say.” he said.

A woman whose father died had a Vietnam battalion inscription on her license plate. Kleiner prepared a plaque for himself and his brother along with the plates.

He said people donate their old license plates to him, and he gets some from estate sales, or people bring him a license plate that has a special meaning and ask him to create something from it. They also have friends and family members who are constantly searching for license plates.

Their creations now include plate-roofed birdhouses, keychains, barn star Christmas ornaments and magnets. They have license plates from all 50 states and several foreign countries.

What started as a way to dispose of the numerous plates his father collected turned into a passion for Kleiner.

“This is my therapy after work. I spend two hours in my shop every night. It helps me relieve the tiredness of the day.” he said.

He is married to Maureen and has two adult daughters.