CARINGBAH shopping strip was a much different place when James and Ronda Opperman opened their watch and jewellery store in 1967.
Mr Opperman, then 23, was not long out of a six-year apprenticeship as a watchmaker and the eldest of the eight children the couple would have was just a month old.
While Miranda Fair, which opened in 1964, had affected custom, Caringbah was still the busiest traditional shopping centre in southern Sydney.
"McDowell's [Department store] was on the corner and we were one of five jewellers," Mr Opperman said.
And 47 years later, Opperman's Jewellers is the only one of those businesses to have survived — but it, too, will shut when Mr Opperman retires on April 28, his 70th birthday.
For many long-time residents, Caringbah won't be the same.
Opperman's is a place where a warm smile and a chat go hand in hand with challenging watch repairs and beautifully crafted diamond engagement rings and other jewellery.
Mr Opperman does not expect any last-minute buyer for the business which he described as "an old-fashioned retail jeweller where work is done on the premises".
"This sort of shop is hard to sell."
Mr Opperman's decision to "call time" came as no surprise to those who watched him struggle after the death of his wife, following a stroke, in September 2012.
"Ronda was part of the business all the way through. Our youngest daughter Lucy has also been part of the shop for the last 10 years since she left high school but she's now a mother with not as much time."
Mr Opperman said he had derived great satisfaction from his work which started at 5am each day and involved 65-hour weeks.
"I love the trade and I love retailing. You're either a people person or you're not. I am."
Mr Opperman lives in Miranda where he grew up. He'll use his retirement to spend more time with his 16 grandchildren and "play a bit more golf and go fishing".
TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’
The closure of the Opperman’s Jewellers will make it even harder for owners of old mechanical watches to have them repaired.
‘‘Everything was mechanical when I started,’’ Mr Opperman said.
‘‘Now, it’s all battery-operated and quartz watches and most of the work is replacing batteries or rewaterproofing.
‘‘There are very few people these days who are capable of fixing mechanical watches.’’
Have you had a watch repaired by Opperman's?
