also worked at the business over the years . “ We really do the work .”
A clock shop should not only sell clocks , but repair them as well , Chuck says . They sell between 60-80 grandfather clocks a year , and will fix grandfather clocks off-site , with Steve traveling from Sacramento to Modesto to do repairs on larger clocks at customers ’ houses , while also offering on-site repairs for other types of clocks .
“ The calls really picked up during the pandemic when people seemed to have the time to clear out their estates ,” says Sandy , noting that the business receives about a dozen requests a week asking the shop to purchase grandfather clocks from customers , which they can ’ t always fulfill .
The business doesn ’ t sell online , instead focusing on a well-stocked showroom while offering friendly expertise . “ Who wants to come to work every day and be nasty ?” Chuck asks .
House of Clocks , located in the middle of Lodi ’ s retail district on South School Street , really began in the mid-1960s , when Joe Hohn ( father of Chuck and Steve ) learned clock repair while in the military stationed in Germany . Back in California with wife Marie , he repaired clocks beginning in 1970 out of a nearby converted house in Lodi , where the name House of Clocks was born . The store moved to the Lakewood Mall in Lodi , then to Church Street before moving into its current 5,000-foot location almost 20 years ago . Joe and Marie passed away in 2003 and 2009 , respectively , at which point the current owners took over . House of Clocks also had a second location in Stockton for 36 years , closing that store about 10 years ago and moving everything to Lodi , Chuck says .
“ They take good care of me here ,” says regular customer Duane Brown , who lives in Linden and recently had a clock he bought for his son depicting the U . S . Marine
Corps repaired . “ They ’ re always so friendly and polite , always smiling , like family .”
Chuck , a graduate of Tokay High School in Lodi , says he picked up the intricate science of clock repair “ along the way ,” and really learned the business running the Stockton store . “ I worked in the Stockton shop by myself for a long time . You run a shop , you do everything . You clean , you answer the phone , talk to customers , do repairs , do what has to be done .”
Having recently celebrated House of Clock ’ s 51st anniversary , Chuck says he ’ s hoping to carry on the family tradition another nine years before deciding what ’ s next . Local officials hosted a 50-year celebration in 2020 , and the Lodi Chamber of Commerce named them the Bill Dauer Small Business of the Year .
“ My goal is to get to 60 years ,” Chuck says . “ We ’ ve been doing this since we were kids and we don ’ t dedicate ourselves to this job just to cut corners . My dad always said ‘ Do it right or don ’ t do it ,’ so that ’ s what we do .”
Steve Martarano was a reporter at the Sacramento Union for 10 years before working in public affairs for both state and federal agencies in Sacramento . On Twitter @ MartArchives .
“ You run a shop , you do everything . You clean , you answer the phone , talk to customers , do repairs , do what has to be done .”
Chuck Hohn , owner , House of Clocks
Sandy and Chuck Hohn , married since 1983 , run the House of Clocks in Lodi .
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