BARGAINS : SAVINGS AROUND THE CLOCK, SORT OF.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

Whether purchasing an item or a service, one of the best ways to save money is to skip the middleman. One example is having furniture and grandfather clocks custom made or restored at Custom Furniture Creations.

You'll find a selection of new, used and antique grandfather clocks. Rather than pay up to $5,000 for a grandfather clock in a retail store, you can get a similar - if not the same - clock for about half the price, and you get to pick the finish.

As for recycled clocks, depending on what a clock's casing has or has not - movements, dials, weights, pendulums, ornaments and plain or beveled glass - it's not uncommon for a customer to end up with a grandfather clock valued at about $2,000 for less than $600. All clocks come with a one-year parts and labor warranty.

It's impressive what Custom Furniture Creations can do with a piece of furniture that, to our eyes, looks like firewood. Most woodwork, including stripping, sanding and staining, is done by hand. Excess wood loss is avoided at all costs. The staff (master carpenters, carver and finisher) believes that all wood is valuable and treats it as such.

If an item is small enough, take it in yourself. For several or larger items, call for free in-home estimates. All local pickups and deliveries are free, so if you have the extra time, why not skip the middleman? The savings are well worth it.

All jobs require a 50 percent deposit, and turnaround time is usually four to six weeks. We haven't enough room to tell you about their custom furniture, cabinetry, ceilings and paneling, but take it from us, designs can be functional to decorative and simple to breathtaking.

Custom furniture Creations is at 18369 Eddy St., Northridge; [phone]. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. All major credit cards are accepted.

Inside info

Until Nov. 30, you can save 15 percent on all sterling silver jewelry at Collector's Eye. This includes the store's entire stock of old sterling, new marcasite, silverlike and Indian sterling jewelry. Prices start at $10 for items such as earrings. Collector's Eye is at 21435 Sherman Way, Canoga Park; [phone]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon through 5 p.m. Sunday.

Trisha King and Deborah Newmark, Daily News Bargains columnists, will offer holiday shopping tips at a free seminar, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 16461 Ventura Blvd., Encino; [phone].

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Photo

Photo: Woodwork specialist Antonio Hernandez restores a grandfather clock at Custom Furniture Creations in Northridge.

John McCoy/Daily News