Time is of the essence for a clockmaker

MILFORD n Walking into Clockworks is literally and figuratively like walking into a “Time Capsule.” Here you see a myriad of clocks — antique clocks, new clocks, mantle clocks, grandfather clocks, cuckoo clocks, clocks with their innards spread out on the worktable. In the midst of all of these interesting timepieces sits Laurence Pellino, known throughout Pike County and beyond as “Larry, the Clock Guy.” Larry sits with his loops (magnifying glasses) and his visor on in total concentration, delicately handling the smallest mechanisms of the clock he is working on at the moment. Larry took time out to talk to us about his work. PCC: How long have you been working with clocks? Larry: About 30 years. PCC: How did you learn about clocks? Larry: Fixing clock was always a hobby for me, even when I was a police officer in Staten Island. When I retired at age 44, my family and I settled in Milford. I felt I wanted to work and to do so at my real love; working with clocks. So I just opened a clock store. Now, of course, it is my full time vocation, as well as my passion. I also have learned a great deal and I keep abreast of the industry. PCC: What distinguishes your business most? Larry: All my work is guaranteed. I back up my word. If I don’t fix it, no charge. Who does that anymore? PCC: Do you make house calls? Larry: Yes, I do. PCC: What are some of the more interesting jobs you’ve done? Larry: I fixed the 150 year old clock tower at Forest Hall. PCC: What was the scariest job you did? Larry: I fixed the clock at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. It had a really big glass dial and I had to balance on a very narrow catwalk in order to fix it. PCC: What’s the oddest clock? Larry: I worked on a clock from the 1830s with wooden gears. PCC: What types of clocks do you like best? Larry: I love Grandfather clocks. They’re so big and beautiful. The old ones are so well made, they could last another 150 years. PCC: Who were the most interesting people to come into the shop? Larry: Beverly Sills, John Gotti, Jr. (not at the same time) I guess they heard about me. PCC: What was your fondest experience in the business? Larry: I made a house call for a grandfather clock to a 90 year-old woman in Shohola. She lived all alone and had several beautiful clocks. I asked her, “Don’t you get lonely here all by yourself? She said “No. I have my clocks. They have a face, hands, and I can hear their hearts beating.” PCC: Do you feel like that, too — that the clocks have their own personae? Larry: (laughs) Not, yet.