It was just...time.

Swiss Time has been in Portland for 45 years. First on Congress Street and then moving to Exchange Street in 1994. According to the Portland Press Herald, they finally had to shut down the iconic store run by husband and wife team, Claude and Jill Guyot.

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The tide started to turn for the Guyots and their tiny little watch store in 2017 when the founder Claude Guyot, passed after a battle with Parkinson's and ALS. The store was then run by their daughter Stephany Guyot, her brother, Kristopher Guyot, and her mother, Jill Guyot. The second blow to business was the pandemic. Swiss Time was a store you would go in and browse, or drop off your watch to be fixed. Claude loved to talk about watches and there wasn't anything he didn't know. With social distancing, they had to shut down for several months. Add the fact that most people get the time from their phone and internet sales, they closed just before Christmas.

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It makes me sad to see this sweet little specialized store close. I get that it's about the changing times...but it still makes me sad. I hope the Guyot family prospers in their next adventure. It wasn't an easy decision for them either. You don't open a business with the closing date in mind. Stephany Guyot told the Portland Press Herald,

We got an outpouring of support. It was a wonderful way to end.

I personally thank them for the countless battery replacements and irreplaceable friendly chat.

 

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