A generation is passing on Capitol Hill as another long-time retailer has announced it is going out of business. 14th Ave’s Tiempo watch and jewelry shop will close its door on August 1st as owners Jody Laine and Shad Reinstein tell CHS they have been unable to find a buyer for the 13-year-old shop.

“We had really hoped to turn it over to somebody else. We viewed ourselves as a community business,” Reinstein said. According to Reinstein, they’ve been looking for a buyer for over a year and even offered training and financial help to make a deal work. Now Reinstein said, she and her partner Laine are leaving Seattle and there’s nothing to do for Tiempo unless someone steps forward in the next few weeks.

Reinstein, who calls herself the “silent partner” in Tiempo, and Laine were profiled in this Seattle Gay News article recently. In it, Laine describes the area on 14th where she started the business 13 years ago as a block with “nothing” on it. The article also documents Laine’s activism in the LGBT community.

It hasn’t been the best weeks for small shops providing useful, if not profitable, services. On Thursday, CHS reported that 15th Ave’s Simply Frames was also shutting down its shop after more than a decade of business. And, if you’re a Hill resident with a need for a new watch battery, your options are now even slimmer. One of the only other dedicated watch battery providers on the Hill, Donna S. Ritchey Jewerly on 15th, closed last year.

For now, Tiempo is beginning the process of shutting down and moving its stock. Reinstein says to watch for sales through the summer. And, hey, if you’re considering a change of occupation and think you might want to give watch retailing and repair a shake, give the duo a call before they leave town. They were hoping to leave Tiempo in good hands.

“We’re really sorry,” Reinstein said. “We love the community. We love the support.”

Thanks to neighbor Ari for the tip.