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© 1998 The Auburn Plainsman |
Auburn swept away by Mr. Top Hat, chimney sweeper By Lionel Bourroux Staff Writer
When people open their doors and see Jeff Simmons, it doesn't matter if they have had a rotten day or are simply worried about their daily duties. From the youngest generation to the oldest, Simmons always brings a sunbeam into people's lives. Even if it's just for a fraction of second, he can force a smile in anybody's face. He is Mr. Top Hat. From Opelika to Auburn, Simmons goes from one roof to another to clean, repair and restore chimneys. Sometimes, he will need only a few hours to complete his work. And in other cases, he will operate tirelessly on an entire chimney system for a day or two. His only concern is to please his customers the best he can, but he never forgets that chimney sweeping is, above all, steeped in tradition. Chimney sweeping wouldn't be the same if he didn't wear his top hat and his tails while crawling up the chimney or fixing its crown on the roof. No matter the circumstances, he always wears his uniform, even if he risks losing some of his credibility within the chimney sweep guild. "Most of the chimney professionals in the United States have stopped wearing their top hat because they think it's unprofessional," Simmons said. "I totally disagree. People can figure out that I'm professional because of my knowledge of what I'm doing." The significance of the top hat is another reason for Simmons to keep wearing it. "Actually, a chimney sweeping hat is not really a top hat. It's a tall derby," he said. Because of its flat lid across, it catches the soot on the rim without having it falling on the chimney sweep. It also keeps from bumping your head when working inside the chimney. Even more significant, the name of his business, Top Hat Chimney Sweep, directly requires Simmons to wear his outfit at work. "Most of my customers don't even know my name, they just call me Mr. Top Hat," he said. "I'll be going down the road, and someone will be yelling out of his car, 'Hey, Top Hat.' The industry is now good for Simmons. When his kids were little, his wife was able to stay at home with them, and they were able to purchase a nice house where they could enjoy a cozy life. But because of the business growing so rapidly, it now requires a tight organization. "Right now, we're booking appointments for the week before Christmas," he said. Since Simmons schedules most safety inspections in the spring and summer with his regular customers, Top Hat stays busy all year long. However, things have not always flourished. "My wife and I literally starved my first few years. We lived off my gardens and never ate meat because we couldn't afford it," he said. "Get ready for these years after college." Simmons graduated from Auburn in 1983 in personal management. After aspiring to a career in photography, he got involved in chimney sweeping through Ed Witherman, who owned Top Hat Chimney Sweeps at that time.
When Simmons and his wife took over, it was a slow, but growing process. They had to expand their activity to other services such as painting, roofing or even cleaning gutters. Simmons didn't have a list of customers and had to prospect from door to door giving free chimney inspections. In 1990, after five years of services, he became a certified chimney sweep and a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild, which helped strengthen his credibility toward his customers. He extended his knowledge to fire codes, all types of creosote, or dust removal, and solutions for complex draft and smoke peculiarities. In the early days, Simmons had to perform in particularly tough conditions. "I used to have to put on overalls, gloves, booties and tape everything together," he said. "Then, I had to put my balaclava on and my respirator to crawl inside the fire place. I sealed myself inside with the vacuum and cleaned the chimney. When I came out, I was black from head to toe." These conditions changed drastically when he was able to use a dust control machine that pulled so much air out he didn't have to seal himself inside anymore. "I don't get nearly as dirty as I used to," he said. However, almost with nostalgia, he mentions a few strange things that happened to him while crawling up the chimney. "Inside one fireplace, I was cleaning, and all of a sudden I felt something around my neck moving," he says. "I couldn't see what it was with the respirator so I came down, and it was a 5 foot snake. "I came out flying out of the chimney, dust going all over the house, like a cloud of dark smoke. And I didn't stop running until three blocks down the road." Simmons ran into all kind of different things, such as squirrels, raccoons, birds and, a duck once, "It can be a pretty interesting business," he said. Beside getting dirty and endangering his safety when working on roofs, Simmons doesn't seem to notice any other inconveniences these days. "That job has been able to teach me all kinds of skills. I have to sell myself as well as the importance of my work every day," he says. "I've taken a lot of continuing education toward that area." The National Chimney Sweep Guild annual convention offers different courses that help understand the evolution of the business. "I've only missed one in the last eight years," he said. " Learning how chimney sweeps used to operate in the past, it helps me understand how it is supposed to evolve now." Also, European sweeps come to national meetings, which is a way to exchange knowledge, skills and pass on the history and traditions. In 1666, London was destroyed because of chimney fires which emphasized the importance of chimney sweeps. As a result, chimney sweeps were connected to positive connotations. "In England, people who get married usually have a chimney sweep attend to bring good luck. In German homes, people hang a bag of soot," he said. "Also, shaking the hand of a chimney sweep will bring good luck for a year." As a result of his devotion and competence, Simmons was elected president of the Alabama Chimney Sweep Guild in 1994. "I wanted to give something back to the business," he said. Now, he plans to get involved with the Chimney Safety Institute and teach a couple summers. Simmons emphasized the importance of the close internal network within the guild. "I'm on my computer every night talking to other sweeps. No one else can get on the website but us," he said. "I've never met such a group of people. My competition here is also my best friend." The business has grown so much in the last few years that Simmons can no longer handle all of it by himself. He is considering hiring someone to train that could eventually work on his own. "But it's hard to find. The last guy I had fell off the roof. He was real good. I say 'was' like he passed away ... But, when he fell, he got real bruised up, and I think he decided that it wasn't exactly what he wanted to do," he said. When all is said and done, Mr. Top Hat stands before his completed work in this house where he rebuilt the whole chimney from the hearth to the crown on the roof. His hands on his hips, he searches the fire place for any possible defects he might have missed. On a curtain spread out to cover his work area, he gathers all the debris in such a meticulous way that he only has to fold it to complete his cleaning part of his work. "Cleaning is definitely my bread and butter," he said. "There is very little material involved, and I know exactly what I'm going to make." As he loads his equipment in his 1997 white Ford Econoline, his eyes light up. "If somebody has a dream to go into a certain business, do it," he said. "People need to follow their dreams and not be scared." Before stepping into his van, he turns his head away and mutters a few words to himself. "I don't want to say it," he says as he turns around. "But I've thought about starting over again, because the building of the business was really fun. "You know, oddly enough, one of the most successful chimney sweeps in the country is in Dade County, Fla., where it never gets below 60 F." |
CONTRIBUTED
JASON KEY/Art Editor