Times

If you know Avenue Road, you know how packed it gets. We are at No.414, right in the middle of all that noise and movement. It is a very old part of the city, and our shop, Times, has been part of it for a long time. There is barely enough room on the sidewalk for two people to pass, but somehow everyone makes it work. Inside the shop, it’s a bit tighter. We have clocks and watches everywhere. Some are on the walls and some are tucked away in drawers. It isn't a modern showroom with glass elevators. It is just a room with a lot of timepieces. We spend our days opening up backs of watches and looking through those little magnifying glasses. The dust from the street comes in every time the door opens, so we are always wiping down the counters. It’s a lot of work just staying on top of the cleaning. People come in with things their grandfathers gave them, hoping we can make them run again. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can't. We don't make big promises. We just look at the gears and see what is stuck. It’s a bit of a maze getting here if you aren't used to the narrow streets, but once you find No.414, we are right there. The hours are long, but that’s just how it is on Avenue Road.