End of an era

It’s the end of an era — almost.

With a going-out-of-business sale underway at Evans’ Fine Jewelry in Portland, Jay County will soon be without a retail jeweler for the first time in at least a century.

But Jim Brewster of Evans’ hasn’t closed the door to a jewelry-related future even after the store closes. 

“I have every intention of continuing to be a part of the community and continuing to sell and service jewelry,” Brewster said last week.

Details on how that future might shape up are yet to come, he added.

He’ll also continue to serve as Wayne Township Trustee and as chairman of the board of Jayland Homeless Shelter.

For owner Sandy Ireland, however, retirement lies ahead.

“I don’t have any plans,” she said. “I just want to stick around home and be able to have lunch with my friends.”

“I’m not retiring,” said Brewster. “I’m not old enough.”

“I’m not either,” countered Ireland.

The pair have long roots in Jay County’s jewelry business.

Jim’s father, Tony Brewster, opened Brewster’s Jewelers in 1949 and continued to operate it until 1980 when Jim took over. He ran the business from 1980 to 1988.

“That’s when we merged,” said Ireland.

Her connection to the jewelry business dates back to her high school years.

“When I was a teenager, one of my jobs was working at Arn’s,” she said.

The Arn Jewelry Store was located on Main Street in Portland in space that is now occupied by a portion of First Merchants Bank.

By the middle of the last century, both Arn’s and Brewster’s in Portland and Gaunt’s Jewelry on Main Street in Dunkirk were flourishing.

The Arn family sold its business to the Fraze family, which closed the store in the 1970s. The Gaunt family, meanwhile, sold its Dunkirk store to the Blankenbaker family. That store closed within the past decade, leaving Evans’ Fine Jewelry as the sole surviving jewelry retailer in the county.

Ireland and her husband, Jack Evans, opened Evans’ Fine Jewelry in May 1985 in a storefront now occupied by Remember When on Main Street in Portland. It was off to a great start when Jack Evans died suddenly in September of that year.

After a few years of competition between Evans’ and Brewster’s, the two got together in the late 1980s. 

The going out of business sale will continue “until we sell most of the merchandise,” said Ireland.

And coming after a two-month shutdown related to COVID-19 in the spring, the  shop has been hopping.

“We’re selling a lot of diamonds and a lot of gold jewelry,” said Ireland.

Shoppers have also picked up decorative items ranging from floral displays to art on the walls.