FRANKFORT, Ind. – Ellis Jewelers is marking 110 years in business this week with an anniversary sale and a drawing for a 1.10-carat lab-grown diamond and a $500 gift certificate.
Customer service representative Andy Redman discussed the milestone Tuesday morning on WILO’s “Party Line” program. She said the drawing will be held at the end of the day Saturday, and shoppers can register in the store until then.
“Lots of great things on sale,” Redman said. “We just love to see everybody.”
A family business
Redman said the business was started by the grandfather of current owner Michael Ellis. It was later run for many years by his father, Jim Ellis. Michael Ellis consolidated operations at the Frankfort store after the company closed its Lebanon location in 2017, and the Frankfort store was remodeled in 2018, Redman said.
“Jim Ellis just took right to him and brought him into the store, trained him, sent him to bench jeweler school, the whole bit,” Redman said. She said Posey has been at Ellis Jewelers more than 25 years. His first job was hand engraving.
Personal service
Asked what has kept the store open while national chains and mall stores came and went, Redman pointed to personal relationships.
“It’s really knowing and getting to know your customers on a really personal level,” she said. “Jewelry, it’s fashion, yes, but it’s very symbolic and it holds memories and emotions.”
Redman said staff ask customers who a gift is for and what it should express. She described one piece Posey made for a widow. He reshaped her late husband’s plain wedding band into a heart-shaped pendant. Posey has also combined two rings into a “double circle” design set with a diamond, she said.
Redman said online shopping has not replaced in-person buying. “With jewelry you want to see it. You want to touch it, you want to feel it,” she said.
Layaway and services
Redman described the store’s layaway plan. A customer puts 10 percent down and pays at least $10 a month for up to 12 months, with no interest or fees. She said some customers start Christmas shopping a year ahead.
The store also cleans rings and checks prongs and stones. It keeps wish lists tied to customer accounts and does repairs in-house, she said. Beyond jewelry, it carries Seiko clocks and watches, Citizen watches, trinket boxes and themed gifts, with some items starting at about $20, according to Redman. (The transcript gives “Sago,” which is likely Seiko.)
On industry changes, Redman said rising gold prices have had the biggest effect. When she returned to the store last November after time away, prices were “nearly double.” She also said mixing yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and silver has become popular, while classics such as diamond studs and solitaires remain steady.
Ties to WILO
Russ Kaspar, owner of Kaspar Media Group and a longtime Ellis customer, joined the program by phone. He recalled that WILO often broadcasted parades from the radio station on the second floor above the store. Parades were aired from the windows overhead, and he said the station’s rent was about $25 a month. His father, Vern Kaspar, later suggested to Jim to raise it to $35. Kaspar said there are 26 steps up to the studio. He said he started at the station as a janitor and was paid $15 every other week to clean the radio station and wax the floors.
