After four decades downtown, time’s up for Menlo Clock Works

Walking into Menlo Clock Works, the walls are lined with clocks ranging from tall grandfather clocks with swinging pendulums to neon wall clocks. After 42 years, the Menlo Park clock and watch repair shop is closing down and hosting a retirement sale.

When Alex Delly first worked as a clock repairer, he dreamed of running his own shop. Five years later, he opened Clock Works in Menlo Park in 1981. More than four decades later, he and his wife, Sharon, are retiring to focus on new passions.

The downtown area near the store at 961 El Camino Real, next to The Guild theater, has changed a lot since he began Menlo Clock Works, according to Delly. He used to park a van with the company name across the street to advertise the business at what was then a gas station. Today, across the street is an office park and Jefferey’s Hamburgers.

“Most of the memories are good,” he said. “We’ve raised our kids here. Shortly after they were born, they were in a playpen in the back office … All in all, it’s been a really good experience.”

He started his career in clock repair over 50 years ago at a family friend’s business according to Sharon Delly. He would hang out at the shop when he was free and help out, which eventually turned into an apprenticeship in clock repair. Alex Delly wanted to own his own shop before getting married, in order to support his family, so Sharon Delly found the location in Menlo Park.

These days, Dellys said they are more interested in finance, business and real estate. The couple plans to keep the Menlo Clock Works building at 961 El Camino Real, and lease it to a restaurant

The Menlo Park City Council on May 23 approved plans for a bar and restaurant with live music, alcohol and outdoor seating, amid concerns about noise and parking from nearby neighbors.

According to Alex Delly, the same-day services Menlo Clock Works offers have made the business a special spot for residents. However, owning a business was monopolizing the couple’s time. Since their last clock and watch repairer retired nine years ago, he does all the repairs. The business also has a watchmaker who works offsite.

“​​We thought that we would leave on a happy note and just have our inventory available at discounted prices so that our customers who have literally helped us arrive to where we are today can benefit,” he said.

He said he appreciates Menlo Clock Works’ customers for their consistent patronage, but also because he’s regularly impressed by the people who walk in the door, including Paul Berg, the winner of the Nobel Prize often credited as the father of genetic engineering, who died in February.

“I’ve learned an awful lot from being across the counter with customers that come in here, because we’re blessed in this area to have extremely intelligent people,” he said. “One day someone comes in and says that they’ve discovered a new particle at Stanford Linear Accelerator.”

While Menlo Clock Works doesn’t have a firm closing date yet, the business and the sale will wrap up before the end of the year. Items are marked down between 20% and 50%, Alex Delly said.

“We are very grateful for our customers’ loyalty, coming back to us time and time again,” he said.