Clock Repair Business

[Blackdog]

Hello to everyone. Long time reader but first time posting. I enjoy working on old clocks such as the Seth Thomas mantel clocks from the 1920's or so. Working on and repairing these old clocks is almost a lost skill, not many people can do this work. The area I live in has a population of around 300,000 people. I know of only two others that even try to work on these old clocks and it seems to take them forever to actually do a repair. My idea is to start the business in my home, offer a reasonable turn around time on a repair and possibly offer to deliver the repaired clock. As far as pricing, I would have a set price to disassemble, clean, oil and reassemble the clock. Customers wouldn't have a clock repaired so they could tell what time it is, they could see the time on their cell phone, they would have it repaired because of the memories they associate with the clock. I did a search but was unable to locate anything related to clock repair. Does anyone have any experience in this area? Would you consider having an old family clock repaired if it was a quality repair? Thanks in advance for all replies.

[Harold Mansfield]

I don't have any old clocks and am probably not your target demo, but that doesn't mean that I don't see the possibilities in such a business. It may be difficult to sustain in a small town unless you're in an area like say in New England where there are a lot of antiques and you're accessible from other neighboring communities.

You may even want to consider letting people ship you items, but you'd have to have a rock solid shipping plan, and probably some kind of insurance protection for really high dollar items.

Are there any certifications for this? And do you have them, or is it just a hobby that you picked up? I'm asking because I know some watch makers and repair people are certified to work on certain brands. I'm assuming clocks are the same way.

[David Hunter]

Welcome, Blackdog!

I have no personal experience in the clock world.

We did have a family friend have her grandfather clock repaired.

I'd say expand outside your area. Heck, as long as the clocks can be shipped to you, you could have clients from all over the world. I'd think you'd want to target the wealthy, but not sure how to go about getting a list of wealthy clock owners...

Any clock forums??

[billbenson]

Problem may be getting bounced around in shipping, but I thought the same thing. With so few experts in repair, people may have to ship these off to be repaired. And it may not even be the wealthy. Some of these things may have been in the family for over a century and have nostalgic value.

I don't see it as a high income generator, but I do see it as a viable business.

[webdesignphx]

I don't have any clocks. But I know that there are many people that would be interested in this service. All you need to do is market it properly and you should have a nice business on your hands. Should be fairly simple to take over the market as well. But I agree with the post above, you may run into shipping problems.

[huggytree]

i collect antique furniture and have several antique mantle clocks...i made sure i bought them in working condition

i think there's demand for your business.....but i think you'd do better going nationwide.....id be surprised if you could exist in a local market....most of your competition is probably doing it as a 2nd job or a hobby....

id also buy , restore and sell....

i have a brother in the antique phone business....he even reproduces his own parts....he has become one of the go to guys for the whole country. He restores for customers who mail one to him and also buys in bulk and rebuilds/sells them...he does it out of his house...his basement probably has 2,000 phones in it..he even sells his phone to people making movies in Hollywood......id recommend trying this approach with your own business........i just dont think local is the best way

[Blackdog]

I would like to think everyone who responded to my post. To answer Harold Mansfield's question, there are no certifications required to work on clocks or watches. I really wish there was as it would assure the customer that the person working on their clock was at least somewhat qualified to do the work. Normally a watch maker has experience as a clock maker before becoming a watch maker. However, there are watch maker schools in Switzerland where one can study and upon graduation be a well qualified watch maker. The higher end watch manufacturers grant a certification to qualified watch makers of their choosing. This certification is the only way you will be able to purchase needed repair parts from the manufacturers. Therefore, no repair parts, no repair business. Naturally the manufactures are very selective in granting certification and access to their supply channels. No certifications apply to clock makers or anyone working on clocks but there are schools in the U. S. to learn clock making. I and most others learned by doing it and self study. I did work as a clock makers apprentice for eight months and learned a lot. I do think when i get this going that I will offer to let customers ship their clocks to me for repair. As I get this going I plan to post my experiences with my first business start up.

[user2837]

Have you tried doing any keyword research to see if people are searching for something like "clock repair"? This could give you some idea of the kind of market you could reach outside of your local area.