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IndependentsDec 10, 2018
After 166 Years, One of America’s Oldest Jewelers Is Closing
Randolph Jewelers in Placerville, California is closing its doors as owner Charles Stephens retires.
Placerville, Calif.—One of America’s oldest jewelry stores is closing.
Randolph Jewelers in Placerville, California will shut its doors for the final time at the conclusion of its going-out-of-business sale, happening now.
“I’ve been here for 38 years and I’m afraid that if I don’t go soon they’ll be taking me out of here on a gurney,” owner Charles Stephens, who acquired the business in 1981, joked to National Jeweler.
According to local news source Mountain Democrat, Randolph Jewelers opened in 1852 when F. F. Barss settled in Placerville during the Gold Rush.
Barss and his son ran the store until 1922 when a man named N. H. Burger purchased it.
Burger and his son subsequently sold it to William Randolph in 1946, and it became Randolph Jewelers.
Now Stephens is retiring and, without a successor, so is the store.
“The difficulty of finding a successor is selling a store with inventory,” Stephens explained. “I think you can still run a successful jewelry business (today) but my time of innovating is over with and I’m ready to retire and not worry about these things anymore.”
In 2015, JCK included the 166-year-old retailer on its list of the 10 oldest jewelry stores in America.
For more information on Randolph Jewelers, visit its website.
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