Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Woolsey.
Hi Beth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My great, great Grandfather came from Germany and started a Jewelry and clock store in 1905 in Kansas City. My great grandfather then had a shop downtown on 12th St. in the 20s-40s. My Grandfather opened the shop in Brookside in 1955, the year my dad was born. We were there for 62 years before a fire damaged the shop’s building and we moved to the next building north. We were here until early this year when the owner of our building revealed that he had other plans for our space and we had to find somewhere else. That led us to finding this spot here in Independence. It is closer to our homes, and it is more of a storefront than we have ever had. My father Dave Falke (4th Generation) grew up learning the trade from his father. I, also grew up learning from my father, coming in at a young age cleaning and such. Then I became 5th generation. My son Christoher Hutson (6th generation) started learning from me and his grandfather and has been doing it for the last 5 years. We specialize in antique clock repair but repair many types of clocks. We also sell clocks in our store. My dad still comes out and does service calls on Grandfather clocks in the home 4 days a week. Our shop looks better here than it has ever looked before. We love it!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The fire was definitely a heartbreaking time. We sustained smoke and water damage. We had over 60 years of parts and clocks stored in the basement of that building that a great deal was ruined. We had to hurry and get everything out of that shop as soon as possible. The water in there was going to ruin the clocks from all the moisture. We gathered up friends and family, rented a truck and hauled most of it to my two-car garage in Blue Springs. There we set up a dehumidifier and an Ozone machine to pull the moisture and smoke smell out of it all. Then we found the place next door and hauled it all back over to Brookside. Then having to move it all again this year was quite a job.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My Grandfather repaired watches but didn’t pass that on to my dad because he thought that it was a dying art and mechanical watches were being used less and less. We repair clocks from the 1700s to today. small desk clocks to great big Grandfather clocks to tower clocks. There are challenges with getting parts today, so we have to get creative in making parts on some things. I think Kansas City knows we have 6 generations of clock repair knowledge passed down.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Taking great care and doing good work to people’s family clocks and doing the best we can to keep everything original. I just love seeing how happy someone is when we get their grandparents clock running again.
Pricing:
- Free estimates over the counter
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clockshopusa.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheClockShop
