JANUARY 29, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
The Goldsmith—Engraving, Jewelry Repair, Special Orders and Family for 30 Years
Tory and B.W. Miller have worked together every day since getting married in 1980. They are the co-owners and sole employees of The Goldsmith, a family jewelry service business started by Tory’s father, Tom Shaw, more than 30 years ago. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Tom Shaw was a rock hound when he was a young boy. He collected, cherished and polished rocks and gems of all shapes and sizes, sharing his hobby with his large family in Florida. The hobby eventually led to a profession when Shaw opened a jewelry service store in Dundee, Fla.
Tory Miller, Shaw’s daughter, began her first job while in high school with her father. Today, Tory and her husband B.W. co-own The Goldsmith, the store her father started in Florida and relocated to Boone.
“I’ve never done anything else,” said Tory. “This is what I know.”
The Goldsmith is a family business. More than 30 years ago, Shaw moved his entire family to Boone from Florida to help with the new venture. Tory, her brother Morgan and other family members worked at the store, learning about engraving, jewelry repair and customer service. In 1980, Tory married B.W. Miller, who joined the family business and learned about jewelry repair from Shaw and Morgan, as well as through classes at the Holland School for Jewelers in Alabama.
By the early 1990s, Shaw and his wife Norma decided to retire, and Tory and B.W. stepped in to take over. At the same time, Morgan Shaw set out on his own and opened Morgan’s Jewelry in Boone.
Today, the family business continues with the same focus on quality work and premium customer service Tom Shaw created more than three decades ago.
“We are a working jewelers’ store,” explained Tory. “We do all kinds of jewelry repair, remounts, special orders and we specialize in engraving—that’s our niche; no one else does exactly what we do with awards, plaques and trophies.”
The shop sells engraveables, such as plaques, trophies and gift lines. A unique service that is not offered by any other jewelry shop in town, Tory will engrave items not bought from The Goldsmith as well. Tory can also digitize logos and make vector logos, so they can be put on a wide range of engraveables. Tory said she can digitize any logo, no matter how intricate or detailed, and can even digitize personal signatures. In addition, Tory engraves all kinds of jewelry, from classic to contemporary.
Tory and B.W. restring beads and pearls, and offer all types of jewelry repair, from sizing rings to chain reconstruction. Many jewelry stores shy away from repairing silver jewelry, but not The Goldsmith—Tory and B.W. will repair all types of silver jewelry as well. The Goldsmith also offers remounts, including mounting new or old stones in blank, or stone-less, mounts.
Tory and B.W. can create new jewelry for customers or personalize gift lines with engravings. Gift lines include picture frames, baby cups, mugs, clocks and jewelry.
ASU sports teams and academic colleges often call on The Goldsmith to engrave plaques, rings and trophies, and “second homeowners love us because we repair the jewelry right here and don’t send it off,” added Tory. “We really see the whole spectrum [of clientele] but we also get a lot of ASU fraternities and sororities,” she said.
During the economic crisis, Tory and B.W. said they are receiving an influx of jewelry repair orders, as opposed to orders for new jewelry. The husband and wife team is thankful for their customers’ continued support during this uneasy time.
“In my opinion, what helps us last in this business is that we offer service—we don’t just sell stuff,” said Tory. “We stand behind what we sell, and [customers] know they can always find us.”
Because The Goldsmith is a service shop, Tory and B.W. keep a minimal inventory to reduce overhead. Once ordered, most items arrive within three days.
“Our deals are daily,” said Tory. “We can always give them the best price because they don’t have to pay an inventory tax on it.”
Although The Goldsmith has moved multiple times in the three decades since coming to Boone, Tory and B.W. like their current location at 199-B Jefferson Road (Highway 194) in Boone, and are afraid that the NCDOT Highway 194 widening project will take it in the coming decade. Currently, the concern is only speculation as NCDOT has yet to release exact plans for the project.
“Hopefully, we’ll be sitting here ten years from now doing what we’ve done all of our lives,” said Tory. “I don’t see myself doing anything else.”
The Goldsmith is located at 199-B Jefferson Road (Highway 194) in Boone. The shop is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and closed on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 828-265-0506.
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