The Small Businessman
No regrets about his career
(As part of observances for its 30th anniversary, Stabroek News will be reproducing snippets from its earlier years on page four of each day’s newspaper.) RASHEED Azeez, 21, says that after he left school he could not make up his mind about what career to follow and when some friends in the Stabroek Market offered to teach him watch repairing he jumped at the opportunity.
Now Rasheed has been in the business for just over seven years and he says that although things are going slow he has no regrets about the trade he undertook.
“This time of the year especially, business is slow because most people are spending their money on things for the Christmas season. Watches and clocks are the furthest things from their minds except if they are buying gifts,” he noted.
Situated at stall number one, section four (at first gate from north) in the Stabroek Market, Rasheed declared that whenever it rains he has to close shop because sprinkles of rain fly through the gate and the roof leaks.
He lives at Grove, East Bank, Demerara and has to catch transportation daily to and from work but although this is a trying task Rasheed says he does not allow this to bother him.
Working whole day through the week except Wednesday when the market is closed at 12 noon, Rasheed repairs all types of clocks and watches except the brand “Timex” as spares are not readily available and he refuses time pieces that are with plastic parts or are powered by batteries.
He noted that since the advent of cheap digital watches in Guyana people are buying and repairing spring time pieces less than before.
The repairman considers himself an expert in his field because, he says, when he does a job for somebody it is hardly likely that person will return with the same problem.
Rasheed noted that spares can sometimes be a problem but he offsets this by buying in bulk whenever traders bring parts to sell him. “I also use lighter fuel to clean the watches but though this is readily available it can sometimes be very expensive,” he said.
He noted also that only round watch faces are sold in Guyana and so if a customer needs to have a square face changed, Kasheed says that he has to file a round glass face into the shape of a square one.
Overall though, Rasheed says that his job is a very good one and “it also benefits the community as not everybodycould afford a new watch or clock every few months.
-(L.J.)