My made-in-China watchband suddenly popped a few weeks ago.Lucky that I caught the watch before it could fall to the street.
I wondered where it could be fixed.
This week, as if by miracle, the person I was walking with through the Old City stepped into a leather goods shop in the Moslem Quarter.
Many leather bags and shoes are sold in the Old City; I think much of the merchandise comes from Hebron, long famous for leather tanning.
I saw the special sewing machine and fished the watch out of my pocket.
The young man kindly accepted the challenge of sewing the narrow little watchband.
He did a great job and I was so happy to have my watch back on my wrist.
And happy that such places and working people still exist!
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(That's a little corner of my world for Our World Tuesday.)
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It must have been such a pleasant surprise for you to have found this guy. I think they call it "serendipity."
ReplyDeleteI think it's amazing that anyone repairs things any more. How great that you had you watch strap repaired AND you found a photo op too.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where I'd go to get the same thing here. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteIt is said, that humans are intelligent, because of having fingers. This a wonderful proof. Thank you for this great entry. Please have a good Tuesday ahead.
ReplyDeleteLeather is an excellent material. Alas many of the old craft skills have disappeared already or are on their last legs. You got lucky.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good when things can get repaired instead of just chucked away.
ReplyDeleteI understand your joy. Unfortunately almost any kind of 'fixing' is history nowadays.
ReplyDeleteIt would be hard to find the same service here and it would probably cost you more than a new watch...
ReplyDeleteVP and all--the young man sewed and worked and then said "No charge." But I was so happy to have my watch back and to have a nice picture of his skills and tools that I gave him some shekels. He protested "No, too much!" But you know, sometimes you are simply happy to pay someone.
ReplyDeleteMore and more of these shops and trades around here, manned mostly by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.The part of town where wee live is called the Raval, from an old arabic word meaning outside the walls. It is better known now by the name Ravalistan, word which I hate for it's narrow mindedness, and the racism in it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice guy to fix your watchband for free :)
ReplyDeleteMy watch band is stretchy metal and it's easy to just snap a new one on when the old one breaks. It can pinch though.
I am so sad to see these small shops with specialised tradespeople become rarer and rarer. We have always recycled, reused and repaired in our household and it is shameful in today's throw-away society to buy new things (usually of poor quality anyway), only to have them go bung in record time...
ReplyDeleteYae!!! That's wonderful! I'm so glad for you. I know how attached I get to personal items like a wristwatch.
ReplyDeleteServices like this will always be needed and I hope they never disappear here. Though I am awaiting the day when these skilled workers will be paid what their labor is truly worth.
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