Mucklow & Hardy

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, while waiting for his glasses to be adjusted, an elderly gentleman overheard two employees discussing something unusual. ‘Did you hear?’ asked one, ‘Last night, Mucklow & Hardy’s sign lit up on its own!’ Another employee replied curiously, 'Really? That never happens!' Just then, a regular customer walked in and joked, 'Maybe it was trying to attract more customers like me?' Everyone laughed, realizing that sometimes even old signs can surprise us.

2. While adjusting someone’s prescription one afternoon, Mucklow noticed a strange clicking sound coming from behind the counter. Curious, he turned around and found that every time Mr. Hardy's old typewriter keyed up, it would synchronize with the exact moment when customers’ lenses were perfectly aligned. One day, an excited delivery driver rushed in, complaining about his new glasses being too tight. As he spoke, everyone watched in amazement as his words seemed to dance across the counter—typed directly onto the wrapping paper! Turns out, Mr. Hardy had left the ancient machine on overnight again.

3. In the dimly lit hallway of Mucklow & Hardy, a small child stopped abruptly and pointed upward. ‘Dad,’ she whispered, ‘is that a ghost?’ The optician’s assistant glanced skyward just in time to see a pair of spectacles floating gently towards them. The glasses hovered for a moment before landing on an old newspaper clipping about local history. 'Oh, those are just Mr. Hardy's,' chuckled the assistant. 'He leaves them here every night.' A nearby customer, adjusting his own specs, muttered, 'Guess I’ll never win the lottery—my lucky glasses keep walking off!'

4. Over lunch one day, a delivery driver mentioned hearing a peculiar humming noise every time he parked near Mucklow & Hardy. Curious, he asked around and learned that many people in the neighborhood occasionally heard the same sound when passing by Mucklow & Hardy’s shop. It turned out to be nothing more than an old clock mechanism from an antique spectacle display inside the store, ticking away merrily throughout the day. The delivery driver shook his head with a smile, remarking how some days you hear strange things—especially if you deliver packages to quirky opticians’ shops.