New Sharon couple opens antiques shop specializing in clocks
NEW SHARON – Clocks are what make Gary Weed really tick.
His grandmother was an antiques dealer in Hallowell, and was fascinated by her clocks. In 1980 she gave him his first ticker.
He tried to incorporate his passion into Don’s AG, the Farmington store he and his wife, Kathy, owned and operated until last May. He had a wall of clocks for sale there, but their intricate beauty often went unnoticed by customers in a hurry.
They sold the store and in September opened Cape Cod Hill Antiques in the post-and-beam barn attached to their quaint farmhouse a stone’s throw off Route 2 in the center of town. They bought the house in 1997 when they married, thinking it was the finest setting for their personal antiques.
“This is a nice down-step from the hustle and bustle of seven days a week at the store. I love it,” Kathy said smiling as she sweeps the room with an adoring gaze. “I just love it.”
The pace of work and life at 18 Cape Cod Hill Road is calmer and more fitting for them, they said. Now instead of an apron, Gary wears comfortable leather moccasins to work and instead of tossing cans and boxes into brown paper bags, Kathy has time to amble about her shop and revel in the allure of the antiquated goods she sells.
The joy of being an antiques dealer is that you can enjoy them before you sell, Kathy said. “It’s like playing house.”
The shop specializes in antique American clocks, of which there are dozens upon dozens ranging in price from $100 to more than $5,000.
“I look at them as my children,” Gary said. “They each have their own personality. There’s just something about them.” Many of the clocks are from the 1800s, and Gary, who has learned how to repair them, wonders about the stories behind them.
He said he was told that no one can own clocks, just care for them because after a person dies the clocks keep on keeping time.
The shop also offers an assortment of furniture, glassware, dishes, mirrors, artwork, magazines, books and even an old sleigh in mint condition, made in nearby Farmington Falls.
With many of the state’s antiques shops located on the coast or in southern Maine, the Weeds aren’t sure of the market for their goods. “Guess we’re going to find out,” Gary conceded.
The Weeds are hoping that a three-day open house starting on Nov. 28 (black Friday) and running through Sunday, Nov. 30. will draw some attention, and customers.
If the shop is a success, they may expand it into the entire house. Gary said he imagines it will be named the House of Clocks. It has a nice ring to it, he said.
Cape Cod Hill Antiques is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, or by appointment. For more information, phone 778-4020.
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