In one of the trunks on my grandfather's trailers, I found several copies of a newspaper clipping that profiled my grandfather and his Clock Shop, which was located at 802 South State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Here are the highlights from the article:
His nine by 13-foot shop usually contains anywhere from 50 to 75 clocks of all kinds and shapes, plus numerous watches.
And, when his work day is done, he goes home to tinker with his own collection of some 150 timepieces, most of them antiques.
The constant ticking, chiming and cuckooing doesn't bother him a bit, he says.
Harmon's connection with clocks dates back to his late teens in New Orleans, when a family friend spurred his entrance into the business side of watch and clock repairing. He became a collector after he had been a repairman for several years.
His repair jobs since he returned to Ann Arbor nine years ago (his family moved here from Kansas, Ill., shortly after his birth and he attended Ann Arbor schools) have ranged from the smallest of watches to a 1776 tower clock imported from Holland, whose pieces came in individual gunny sacks.
"I first became interested in clocks because of a general interest in mechanical things," Harmon said. "But in Washington, D.C., I worked in a shop specializing in antiques and I saw what a huge variety of timepieces there are. I found that it's not only the mechanism that makes a good clock, but the woodworking, carving and painting, too."
...Harmon said a main part of his "business-hobby" is to purchase old clocks and restore them for eventual sale or personal use. "It's not a very good business, though," he added. "I wind up buying a lot of junk I shouldn't."
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