Houston – After seven years in business, a woman-owned independent jewellery store in Houston is closing its doors.
Lesley Ann Jewels, which was opened by Lesley Davis in 2016, has announced that it will close its doors for good on Christmas Eve.
The retailer is holding a going-out-of-business sale until then, with all merchandise marked down significantly.
A trained bench jewellery technician, Davis completed the bench jewellery training programme at the Texas Institute of Jewellery Technology at Paris Junior College. She worked as a jeweller’s apprentice in New Jersey before opening her store.
As she explained in a recent interview on a local morning show, “I loved working at the bench, but I found that the knowledge and experience I had was a valuable tool in helping people.
“That’s when my passion for jewellery turned into a passion for people because I was able to listen to their dreams and their ideas and be able to translate that.”
Davis said that while she loved being a part of her customers’ lives – noting that her customers have become more like friends and even family – she has decided to close her store and retire to spend more time with her family. She is a mother of four boys.
Lesley Ann Jewels is located on Westheimer Road near The Galleria, an upscale shopping centre in Houston.
Lesley Ann Jewels is one of several independent jewellers that have recently announced plans to close as the owner(s) retire.
David and Lori Ettinger will retire and close Bechdel Jewelers in Inwood, West Virginia, which has been open since 1975.
The store’s closing sale is scheduled to end on Christmas Eve.
In Indianapolis, third-generation owners of J.C. Sipe Jewelers, Sam and Laura Sipe, have also decided to retire and close their store.
J.C. Sipe Jewelers has been in business since 1884. The store’s liquidation sale will run until 30 December.
Bowen Jewelry Company in Lynchburg, Virginia, which opened in 1933, is closing to allow third-generation owner Brian “Biff” Bowen Jr. to retire.
And in Pennsylvania, jeweller David Rotenberg announced early last month that he was retiring and closing David Craig Jewelers in Langhorne, which he opened in 1980.
