Going back in time, a new Parksville business is selling and refurbishing antique clocks.
Hoping to get people tick-tocking, Kenneth and Audrey Cross opened their clock gallery Back in Time Clocks at #7 281 Island Highway E last week. They house copious timekeeping devices from as far back as the 1800s.
The couple previously owned a jewelry store in Qualicum Beach called Cross and Macdougall Jewellers but retired from that business last year.
“Our passion is clocks,” Kenneth said.
“We’re the only clock gallery on Vancouver Island. We had planned to do this once we got out of the jewelry business, it’s something that we’re now seeing become a reality.”
Kenneth said it made sense to open a clock shop in Parksville because the area is home to many retirees and typically an older generation.
“They’re the ones who are interested in these clocks,” Kenneth said, who added that other than the odd person, younger people typically don’t show interest in analogue clocks.
Kenneth began servicing clocks in the mid ’70s before getting into the jewelry business in 1984.
He said there’s no schooling or courses for clock repair so one learns from a mentor and through trial and error. He says the practice has stuck with him all these years and he has all the tools and equipment in his workshop to refurbish all types of clocks.
“I’ve always had an interest in antiques, old things, and clocks,” Kenneth said. “I think a lot of guys just love the mechanics of clocks and hearing the ‘tick tock’.”
Most of the shop’s clocks that line the wall or stand tall on the floor are antiques from the 1800s and 1900s including grandmother and granddaughter clocks, Ansonia clocks, Seth Thomas clocks, Gustav Becker clocks, box clocks and cuckoo clocks from Germany and Switzerland.
Grandfather clocks are also available for viewing in a basement storage space.
“Grandfather clocks are about four to six inches wider and 10 inches taller (than grandmother clocks), so they’re huge,” Kenneth said.
The Crosses find most of their clocks from people selling them but also online.
“We kind of boast that we’re the only clock gallery on Vancouver Island and we do service that big area from Duncan to Comox,” Kenneth said.
The shop also carries a variety of antiques and Olde World furniture. For info: 250-586-8848.
