North Coast Imports, Inc.

Remember that small businesses are where you can find really unique and meaningful gifts for the holiday season. Contact North Coast Imports for a list of small business dealers in your area.  

Have a great weekend!!

Here's a bit of fun, a joke on time standards ...

We have no interests in Lowe's, but how can I not re-post this commercial?

Cuckoo clocks should be seen in more places, after all.

There's a beautiful picture of a warehouse of antiques in the latest Restoration Hardware catalog, featuring some nice Morbiers in various states.  RH is focusing on "deconstructed" furniture with a French Provincial, rustic, and somewhat industrial influences.  They get it! They understand how these beautiful works fit perfectly in a modern environment. You can't get an original hand made Morbier clock from Restoration Hardware, but you can from North Coast Imports!  Email us today for more info...

Great article in The NY Times : When it comes to profit and satisfaction, craft business is showing how American manufacturing can compete in the global economy. Many of the manufacturers who are thriving in the United States (they exist, I swear!) have done so by avoiding direct competition with low-cost commodity producers in low-wage nations. Instead, they have scrutinized the market and created customized products for less price-sensitive customers. Facebook and Apple, Starbucks and the Boston Beer Company (which makes Sam Adams lager) show that people who identify and meet untapped needs can create thousands of jobs and billions in wealth. As our economy recovers, there will be nearly infinite ways to meet custom needs at premium prices. Meanwhile, the idea (or at least the hope) is that as China and other emerging nations develop, the United States can stay on the profitable forefront, delivering specific high-tech parts to their factories and the latest upmarket foods to thei...

"Sassy Clock" [via Fail Blog ]

Crafter Mezcraft did a great Instructable on building this edible delight. Here's what she has to say: Over the past year I have been brainstorming about what I would do this year and what I am came up with was a Gingerbread Cuckoo clock with working gears. I couldn't get this idea out of my head and so I went forward and began planning and figuring this out! I have never actually made anything with gears before, so I will talk about how I tried to figure this out and my trials and tribulations in the process.

From playdrmom : "Honor has been quite interested in cuckoo clocks. Also, one of her favorite songs is “Tick tock tick tock. I’m a little cuckoo clock. Tick tock tick tock. Now I’m striking one o’clock.” So, when asked what she wanted to be for Halloween … she said “a cuckoo clock”." Click through to the website for instructions! I know what my son will dress up as next year!

The book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick has been on our reading list for quite some time (Take a look at the other titles while you're at it... just on the side bar of the blog ) So, it's great to see that Martin Scorsese has made a movie! This is Steampunk and Clockworkpunk gone mainstream!

We've been silent for a while, so here's a bunch of news from the world of clocks to catch up a bit... [from AdaFruit ] [from Automata Blog ] [from Makezine ] [from Automata Blog ]

Mike Simpson shows off his Civil War-era cuckoo clock at the National Archives at Atlanta in Morrow. He plans to bring the clock to "Civil War Treasures in Your Nation's Attic, " an "Antiques Roadshow"-like event that will be filmed April 16 at the National Archives at Atlanta. From Access Atlanta : Michael Simpson has a clock. It was made by the American Cuckoo Clock Co. of Philadelphia. With its fluted columns, the rosewood clock is reminiscent of a Greek temple. At its peak is a small door, no larger than a playing card, that pops open to reveal a tiny wooden bird, light blue with a dappled white breast. The clock has been in his family for more than a century. It was a gift to Aaron Simpson, who was barely more than a child when he joined a New Hampshire regiment as its drummer boy. He went off to war, came back and was presented with a handsome clock from his father, no doubt relieved that the youngster made it through the conflict intact.   Unlike ...

A show about a clock factory! ...also, check out the water clock!

I was interested to know more about the big cuckoo clock that Kellogg's is entering for a Guinness World Records® holder. The cuckoo clock will kick off Kellogg's It's Morning Somewhere campaign. I found this news report that shows some pics of the clock, although it's still a little hard to see details of what the clock is. Is it wood? Does it tell time? Does it have a cuckoo bird that comes out and moves? You can learn more from the Facebook videos here . It looks like the clock does tell time, there is a sound of a cuckoo bird, but I haven't seen one come out yet - instead, they have celebrities coming out of the door at the top. It definitely doesn't look like it's weight-driven or mechanical. I don't see any bellows. Still, a cute idea - and we love to see more cuckoo clocks around!

Embroidery and knitting are experiencing a resurgence in popularity - especially among young people. We were glad to see that the cuckoo clock theme is included in this fun! It would be great to see something with a real cuckoo clock movement. If you're out there crafters, let us know if you'll accept the challenge! Make a knitted or embroidered, or otherwise stitched cuckoo with a bird that comes out and calls. [via Little Dear Tracks ]

There's a charming story at the Springfield Illinois State Journal-Register . A very nice turn-of-the-Century Bahnhäusle hangs on the wall of its maker's grandson. From the State Journal-Register : Charles Neuner was a craftsman and jeweler who emigrated from Germany to Springfield permanently in 1905. His shop, Neuner’s Reliable Jewelers, (slogan: “Gifts That Last Will Always Be Remembered”) was at 124 N. Fifth St. [in Springfield] until his death in 1954. Back in Germany, Charles worked for a German clock company. He handmade a cuckoo clock that he brought with him to Springfield. The clock was on the wall of the home on North Second Street where Charles and his wife, Pauline, lived.

It's hard to believe that the movie that popularized the ultimate Time Machine for a new generation is itself now 25 years old. Here's some footage of the movie that has Eric Stoltz before Michael J. Fox was hired as the main character.