Second Time Around Watch Company
Beverly Hills, California
Three days a week, you can find Danny Bowman behind the counter at Second Time Around Watch Company, a small, wedge-shaped watch shop two blocks away from Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive.
He started at the shop in 2014, when they needed someone who knew Photoshop and could take product photos. He gradually took on more responsibilities, including sales. “It is not a difficult sales job,” he said. “The rarity of the watch, or the beauty of a timepiece does the selling for you.”
All the while, this day job has supported his curatorial and gallery practice. From group shows in a rented office space, to a pop-up exhibition on a hillside, he has been organizing shows in some shape or form since 2012. His current gallery, BOZOMAG, opened its first permanent space in 2019.
I found the correlation between being a watch salesman and running a gallery interesting — in both cases, he’s selling rarified goods.
When it comes to timepieces and fine art, Danny says, “They are both items that kind of sell themselves. I guess the only thing I tend to add is narrativity, or a story to try to further paint a picture as to why something is desirable, or why it should be considered a sought-after item.”
He started at the shop in 2014, when they needed someone who knew Photoshop and could take product photos. He gradually took on more responsibilities, including sales. “It is not a difficult sales job,” he said. “The rarity of the watch, or the beauty of a timepiece does the selling for you.”
All the while, this day job has supported his curatorial and gallery practice. From group shows in a rented office space, to a pop-up exhibition on a hillside, he has been organizing shows in some shape or form since 2012. His current gallery, BOZOMAG, opened its first permanent space in 2019.
I found the correlation between being a watch salesman and running a gallery interesting — in both cases, he’s selling rarified goods.
When it comes to timepieces and fine art, Danny says, “They are both items that kind of sell themselves. I guess the only thing I tend to add is narrativity, or a story to try to further paint a picture as to why something is desirable, or why it should be considered a sought-after item.”
BOZOMAG
Garvanza, Los Angeles
The rest of the week, Danny runs BOZOMAG, a small gallery in the backyard of a residential property in Garvanza.
He recently had the opportunity to move into the house, too. It came with its quirks — rats, a flood in the basement, a deck not really fit for using.
“I’m thinking about utilizing the deck above the gallery as a showing space, viewable only through the window in the mud room.”
For Danny, the gallery is more of a relationship-based business.
“A lot of my job with BOZOMAG is putting together really good shows, & organizing paintings and sculptures to tell interesting stories. Sometimes that means staging projects, or showcasing objects that are more experiential in nature vs. an experience that is based on solely catering to a customer or collector.
Because I’ve had a prior life as an artist, many people I work with trust me to represent their work in a good light, or maybe even in an ‘off-the-wall’ context, something unordinary, vs. a normal gallery experience.”
He recently had the opportunity to move into the house, too. It came with its quirks — rats, a flood in the basement, a deck not really fit for using.
“I’m thinking about utilizing the deck above the gallery as a showing space, viewable only through the window in the mud room.”
For Danny, the gallery is more of a relationship-based business.
“A lot of my job with BOZOMAG is putting together really good shows, & organizing paintings and sculptures to tell interesting stories. Sometimes that means staging projects, or showcasing objects that are more experiential in nature vs. an experience that is based on solely catering to a customer or collector.
Because I’ve had a prior life as an artist, many people I work with trust me to represent their work in a good light, or maybe even in an ‘off-the-wall’ context, something unordinary, vs. a normal gallery experience.”