Recs for downtown Boston businesses: Long’s Jewelry, Minuteman Coin & Jewelry, Watch Hospital, Downtown Barbers

I went for a walk downtown today to get a new battery for my wife’s watch, and I was pleasantly surprised to have positive experiences with four different businesses.  So here’s a shout out to…

• Long’s Jewelry and Watch Store at 100 Summer Street (617-426-8500).  I stopped here first.  The woman who helped me was friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.  She looked at the watch, knew off the top of her head that she didn’t stock the right battery, referred me to The Watch Hospital, and told me how to get there (down Summer to Washington, right on Washington, left on Bromfield).
• Minuteman Coin & Jewelry at 29 Bromfield Street (617-778-0409).  When I got to Bromfield Street, I didn’t see The Watch Hospital at first, but I saw the big “We replace watch batteries” sign in Minuteman’s window, so I thought perhaps that’s what the woman at Long’s meant.  I stopped in, and the man behind the counter told me he didn’t stock the right battery and suggested that I try, you guessed it, The Watch Hospital.
• The Watch Hospital at 40 Bromfield Street (617-542-8332) quickly replaced the watch battery for $7.95 and even set the watch when they were finished (granted, they set it a few minutes fast, but even most watchmakers aren’t as obsessive about accurate time as I am :-).
• Downtown Barbers at One Bromfield Street (617-338-0926).  My previous searches had turned up no reasonably priced barbers in downtown Boston, but apparently I didn’t search well enough.  Nick cut my hair quickly, did a nice job, and charged me about the same as what I pay in Brighton ($16 for a men’s cut).  And this is a real barber shop, as evidenced by the issues of Playboy on the table in the waiting area.