Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
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148 nshoremag.com November 2012 148 SPRING 2016 Phillips' Clock Shop, 330 Essex St., Swampscott 781-593-1333, phillipsclockshop.com shop nshoremag.com/nshorehome/ impression. "To sit in a living room or family room watching a pendulum swing," says Marilyn, "is very relaxing and therapeutic. That's what I think people do and why they like them." George talks about the details of his work, how he troubleshoots mechanical issues, and what it means to be a collector. "Every time I get another one, I get excited," he says. "When you collect stuff, that's half of it." But he likes researching the pieces, too. He describes an 1848 Waltham clock and the story behind it—how the threat of going out of business that year meant the company had to choose between folding and cutting employees' wages. "They said, 'We want to work.'" George appreciates that attitude as one that no longer exists but is visible in the craftsmanship of that clock. The future of shops such as theirs? "I think there is always going to be a demand for clocks," says George. "Hopefully some young people will get involved with it—they lose so much because they have so much information on their phones…it's in the phone but not in their heads. Whether it's clocks, watches, coins, you name it—if they get involved in collecting, that's half of it, and the other half is reading up on it—that way they become whole because they are really looking at the item, not just [holding] it." Marilyn adds: "We do a lot of clock shows around the country with the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. They are always trying to get younger people involved. It's nice to go to the shows and see some of the younger people appreciating watches and clocks." The gentle couple becomes charmingly animated when describing the handful of grandfather clocks they keep at home. After all these years, their shared passion is evident in everything they say on the subject. "We get a little crazy," says Marilyn with a big smile in her eyes. "We go to the shows and get so excited—as though we have never seen a clock before!" The workings and movements of antique pocket watches are something to be appreciated.