How did you get started in the jewelry business?
Wow that’s a long story. Here it goes.
In 1968 I started working as a stock boy, porter, mail
clerk, delivery boy,
and window cleaner at Jaccard’s Jewelers at Northwest Plaza.
I
was working one afternoon when a salesman from
Kinsley & Sons jewelry
manufacturers was talking to the manager of the store.
They called me over to talk.
The salesman asked me “Would you like to be a jeweler”?
I without hesitation said yes.
He arranged for me to have an interview with management
and I told them I was interested in the jewelry business
and that I had watched
the jeweler work at Jaccard's.
I thought I would quickly catch on.
I was told to report to work in one week.
It was November of 1969 and the starting pay was
$2.25 per hour
with raises every six months for four years.
This was a .55 cent per hour increase over what Jaccard's was paying me.
When I reported for work I had on a white shirt and tie ready to learn how to sell jewelry.
To my surprise I was taken
into a shop that contained
approximately 17 bench-men (jewelers) and four
polishers.
I was introduced to Melvin Mallot and was told he would teach me the
trade.
Melvin had over forty years experience at the bench.
I worked at Kinsley
for nine years and then we went on strike.
The strike lasted over six months
and I was not called back.
After looking for work for over six months,
I worked
briefly for a trade shop
and started doing odds and ends at home for friends and
family.
I was approached by a jewelry store owner about doing work for him and I agreed.
At about the same time I started working as a machinist at ACF (American Car Foundry).
After about 18 months two more stores asked me to do work.
In the fall of 1980 I decided to try to get more trade accounts
and open
a retail jewelry store that also did work for other stores.
In December 1980 I
entered reluctantly into a rent agreement
with Pee Wee and Virginia Westhoff
owners of the Westhoff Mercantile
on Main Street in downtown O’Fallon, Missouri.
The agreement
was made with a handshake.
"You can rent for $200 per month for as long as you want to. "
There was no written lease.
We were there over 12 years!
We have expanded twice
since then and have chosen to stay
on Main Street in downtown O'Fallon, Missouri.
We are very to to be celebrating our 25th year of business in O'Fallon, Missouri.