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We here at Ye Olde Tic-Tock Shoppe [YOTTS] know that you can purchase a less expensive Grandfather Clock [or other style of clock] at a furniture store, for instance.  So the question arises, "Why should I buy a clock from 'YOTTS' when I might be able to find a cheaper one elsewhere?"  We believe this is a very valid question.  To give you an answer please allow us to use the time honored adage of 'comparing apples to apples'.

Yes, there are apples and some are sold for less!  The quality of the apple and the intended use for it set the price.  When I was growing up my Grandmother made the most delicious pies with apples from a rugged old tree with wind twisted branches down near the end of our cow pasture.  The apples by themselves were as bitter as all get out.  Spies were the best for making apple cider each year because they were plump, juicy, sweet and had a nice medium brown color to the juice.  Other apples for other uses can be found and each one has it's unique flavor and characteristics.  Very few of them sell for the same price when placed side by side on the grocery store shelves.  You pay for what you get and you get what you pay for.

Many furniture stores and warehouse outlets sell some very nice looking clocks at what seems to be very reasonable and attractive prices.  Here is what to look for and inquire about when looking to purchase a clock in any store.  Is the clock case made from solid hardwood throughout the entire clock?  Is the same kind of hardwood used for each part of the case?  Many clocks are made today just like cabinets.  Unless you are purchasing custom made cabinets the sides, tops, interior shelving and the like are made from a nice looking photo overlay vinyl (plastic coating) on dense particle board.  Particle board is made from sawdust, small wood chips and glue then pressed together as it dries.  Only the front face frames of cabinets are made from solid wood.  The doors on the front of cabinets may or may not be made from solid wood.  Likewise, many clocks are built in the same way.  Custom made cabinetry is where you really get what you pay for.  The best in custom cabinetry comes from the use of selected hardwood inside and out.  So it is with clocks purchased here at YOTTS.  Our handcrafted clocks are made from solid select hardwood.

Other things to look for and inquire about, for instance, are the moldings and decorative designs on the clock also solid wood or are they molded from plastic, MDF board or a soft wood like pine and merely made to look like a solid wood piece?  In our clocks, like fine custom cabinetry, they are not.  Our moldings and trim are all made from the same 3/4" hardwoods used to build the rest of your clock.

What about the clock movement?  This is what makes the clock 'tick'.  Is the movement made by the finest German Clocksmiths and is it made from solid brass including the bushings, pivots and the like?  Ours are.  There are no plastic or stainless steel bushings or parts in our movements.  They are designed to last a lifetime and beyond as is the solid wood case of your clock.

If you are looking for a clock that looks nice and will last a decade, or maybe two, at a less expensive price then a cheaper, less expensive, clock may be right for you.

Yes, there apples.  And then there are apples!  Here at Ye Olde Tic-Tock Shoppe we believe in giving you what you pay for  --  real apples!  The 'real McCoy', so to speak.  All of our Grandfather Clocks, our wooden desk, shelf, mantel and wall clocks are made from the finest hardwoods.  This includes the fronts, sides, inside and out including the trim and moldings.  The backs are made from the finest cabinet grade veneer plywood of the same wood species used to make the clock.  There are no particle boards, plastics, vinyl photo overlays or MDF's used in the clock anywhere.  They are made to last your lifetime and beyond.

Here at Ye Olde Tic-Tock Shoppe our business motto is "Heirloom Quality Craftsmanship at a price you can afford".  That is our mission statement as well as our motto.  We like to think that it describes our business as well as the clocks we sell.  We select our vendors as closely as we select the hardwoods for the clocks we handcraft for you here in our shop.

Let's take a close look at our motto:

"Heirloom" - An heirloom is something which you own today that you want to pass on to your children and have them give it to their children, too.  When I was twelve years old my Dad gave me an 1863 US 3 cent piece.  My great grandfather took it out of circulation that year when he became a naturalized US citizen having immigrated from Germany.  He gave it to his son, my Grandfather, who passed it on to my Dad with the instructions that it was to be passed on to the oldest son for generations to come.  I have already given it to my oldest son, who in turn has given it to his twelve year old son.  It will continue in this pattern for generations to come.

Many people, today, want to leave an heirloom to their children which can be passed on to their grandchildren's children.  Many fittingly choose a clock for this purpose.  A clock needs to be of "Heirloom Quality" to hold up to the test of time.  Not so, with an old coin.  A clock has to keep on keeping time and it needs to endure the test of endurance.  Plastic, vinyl and less expensive materials will not.  Our solid hardwood clocks and solid brass movements will, given proper care.

"Quality" - Quality has little to do with preserving an old US 3 cent piece.  All you need is a place for safekeeping.  For clocks, now that is a different story.  Here at Ye Olde Tic-Tock Shoppe we believe in giving our customers the highest quality in materials, workmanship and craftsmanship as well as in the vendors which we hand select.   Our solid hardwood cases will not only stand the test of time but will, with minimal care, carry the beauty of their character with them to the generations to come.  Our solid brass movements will, with proper maintenance, cleaning and oiling, keep on ticking.  Why not make your choice one of "Heirloom Quality"?

"Craftsmanship" - I grew up back East in Northwestern Pennsylvania where my grandfather built and sold houses all through the Great Depression.  Why was he able to keep on working in his own business when so many others were falling apart?  He believed in craftsmanship and he was a craftsman at heart.  He put a part of himself in every house that he built.  His trademark chestnut, hickory and black walnut casings, doors and trim reflected his sense of pride in his workmanship and his craftsmanship.

As a cabinet professional here in Arizona for nearly fifteen (15) years I have often been asked the question, "Whatever happened to Craftsmanship?".  I learned a lot from my grandfather and I take a sense of personal pride not only in the clocks that I build but in the products that I sell.  I am a craftsman at heart.  It's in my genes.

"...at a price you can afford!" - Yes, you can buy a less expensive clock but you always get what you pay for!  When you stop to compare apples to apples and when you compare the price you will pay for a clock with built-in "Heirloom Quality Craftsmanship" here at Ye Olde Tic-Tock Shoppe you will agree, in the long run, that you got a pretty good deal.

Warmly

Dick Bartels

Proprietor and Craftsman

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