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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, November 13, 2009 8:56 PM CST
Tick Tock Shop winds up with new city locale

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON — Now Mike & Doc’s Tick Tock Clock Shop is in the center of the city.

Mike Davis and Henry “Little Doc” Bell moved their clock sales and repair business from Bell’s home to 1830 Broadway Ave. just a couple of weeks ago. Time your visit well and you can be greeted by grandfather clock chimes and a cuckoo clock bird popping out of its hatch.

“It’s pretty quiet in here until the clocks strike the hour. There’s nothing like 36 clocks striking at the same time,” said Davis, a trained horologist, or clock repairer.

The shop does not require any guesswork on its business hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 217-258-8318, but be sure not to be thrown off by the tongue-twisting aspects of the business name.

“I will have people call and I say our name. And people will say, ‘What did you say?’” Davis said with a smile.

The division of labor between the partners is simple. Bell, who gained his nickname from his physician and city politician grandfather, sells the clocks of the Howard Miller line or some antique timekeepers. You can even buy or order new clocks, including the distinctive modern designs of the Ty Pennington of “Extreme Makeover” fame.

Davis is the repairman or the “doc of the clocks.” He has a back room for completing his repairs, which might include correcting the misguided efforts of clock owners.

“I have people come in with a box of parts. Someone in their family tried to fix it by taking it apart. I laugh, and say, ‘That’ll cost you extra for bringing it in a box like that,’” said Davis, who said he has loved clocks since he stood pendulum high to a grandfather clock.

The shop has a time-warp aura about it with the constant tick-tocking of many of the spring-driven timekeepers. Henry’s hand-carved Indian statue is in one corner, and a train set turns back the hands to when clocks and watches ran the city through train departures and arrivals. The small red brick building was once the Darby pipe shop.

A computer is in the back room for making special orders on clocks of different sizes and price preferences. Davis and Bell hope they have opened right on time.

“We’d love to see a Christmas rush here,” Davis said.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

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