Yunlin siblings take on family watch business and revitalization of rural economy

Yunlin siblings take on family watch business and revitalization of rural economy

2023-07-18

The watch industry has been through tough times in the last 20 years. Once a common accessory, the watch is now a niche interest. But two siblings are swimming against the tide to keep their family watch business afloat. They’re the third generation to manage the watch shop in Yunlin’s Tuku Township. Customers come in for repair services and a cup of coffee, and the Tings hope to make a creative case for the watch in 2023. Revitalizing the rural economy is a big interest for both. Let’s go to Yunlin to see how watches keep pace with the times.

Here on Zhongzheng Road in Yunlin’s historic Tuku Township, many special old businesses live on. One of them is this remarkable watch shop. Customers come here for a leisurely cup of coffee and a chance to admire the watches in their glass cases, taking a step back in time to a different era.

In 1948, Ting Ting-fang’s grandfather founded this, the first watch shop in Tuku. As the times changed, there were more and more places to buy watches, while demand for repairs shrank. Gradually, the industry withered, but Ting Ting-fang has come back to her old hometown to breathe fresh life into the family business. And in her repertoire is her own personal passion: coffee.

Ting Ting-fang
Third-generation clock industry owner
A woman of 60 or 70 asked me, “What’s this?” I said, “This is a coffee machine.” She said, “You’re making coffee…?! This is too complicated.” At first, people weren’t very positive about the coffee industry in this small town. It was kind of a novelty.

While Ting Ting-fang brews a cup, her brother Ting Chien-fu is in the back repairing a customer’s watch. The siblings used to watch and learn from their grandfather and father, learning the ropes of the watch industry as children. Ting Chien-fu even qualified as a watchmaker. They both moved back to Tuku after time away, hoping to offer their loyal customers immaculate service and attract new demographics to the shop.

Ting Chien-fu
Third-generation clock industry owner
I guess you would say it’s the changing times. It’s an irreversible trend. Everyone is using smartphones and lots of digital products. So I was very lucky that my sister came back home, and by combining it with the coffee, we’ve got people more interested in what we’ve changed through our transition. We want to incorporate more unusual materials to create unique, creative clock products.

Job opportunities can be limited in the countryside, which makes many young people hesitate to settle in their rural hometowns after growing up. But the Tings have not only taken on the family business. They’re invested in revitalizing local culture, and want to encourage more people to join the community.

Ting Ting-fang
Third-generation clock industry owner
I think everything’s possible now. Coming home to the country, things aren’t as convenient, and information isn’t so advanced. But we’re in the internet age now, and the age of online retail. So many things are actually unlimited, without national borders. So I think there are opportunities for entrepreneurship wherever you go.

The brother and sister duo are finding innovative ways to make this traditional shop relevant. As third generation owners, they’re bringing a breath of fresh air into an old industry, and helping carve out a wholly new path for their community.

舊產業新貌老鐘錶行飄咖啡香

2023-07-18

雲林一對土庫一對兄妹檔，為了接下爺爺和父親經營的鐘錶行，兄妹倆從大城市回鄉，在鐘錶行開起咖啡店，妹妹負責煮咖啡，哥哥幫忙修手錶，兩人互相配合，讓老店注入新氣象有了新出路。

雲林土庫鎮的中正路，至今保留不少老字號的店家，其中有間鐘錶行相當特別，來這可以點一杯咖啡，一邊欣賞著玻璃櫃台裡的鐘錶，彷彿走入時光隧道。

民國37年，爺爺創立鎮上第一間鐘錶行，隨著時代變遷，買賣通路變多，維修數量更大幅減少，產業也逐漸式微，第三代老闆丁汀芳回到故鄉，重新翻修店面，並導入自己熱愛的咖啡，為老店注入新氣息。

[[鐘錶行第三代老闆丁汀芳]]
“有一個六、七十歲的阿嬤，她就說這個是什麼，我就說這個是咖啡機，然後她就說妳要做咖啡喔，這樣太複雜，就是一開始對於咖啡這個產業這個行業，在這個小鎮上是比較不被看好的，然後也算比較新穎”

丁汀芳煮著咖啡，哥哥丁建甫在後頭忙著修理顧客送來的手錶。以前，爺爺、父親經營鐘錶行時，兩兄妹就會跟在身邊，不僅從小就培養對鐘錶的基本知識，哥哥也為此考取鐘錶師證照，他們回到雲林接下傳承的火炬，希望提供顧客最好的服務，並開發新客源。

[[鐘錶行第三代老闆丁建甫]]
“應該說是時代的變遷，這是一個不可逆的趨勢，大家都使用3C手機還有很多電子產品，所以很慶幸妹妹有回來，然後我們有搭配咖啡的關係，讓大家會比較想去關注我們這樣轉型之後的轉變，希望可以再做一些異材質的結合，創造不一樣文創的鐘錶東西”

鄉下工作機會少，大大降低年輕人返鄉的意願，但他們不只回到故鄉接起家業，也投入地方創生，期許有更多人能加入，在地方共存共好。

[[鐘錶行第三代老闆丁汀芳]]
“我覺得現在沒有什麼不可能，回家鄉沒有那麼多的便利性，然後資訊沒有那麼發達，但是現在網路時代，然後電商，所以很多東西其實都是無國界、無限制，所以我覺得到哪裡都是蠻有機會可以去創業”

鐘錶行現在傳承到第三代，為了延續家業，年輕老闆勇敢嘗試投入創新思維，活化老建築、舊產業，不只找到新出路，更展現全新的樣貌。

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