Established in 1892, the oldest retail business in downtown Huntington is still going strong thanks to a dedicated staff who always put the needs of the customer first and foremost.
By Jessica G. Farner
HQ 63 | AUTUMN 2007
Throughout the bulk of its history, C.F. Reuschlein Jewelers has been nationally renowned for the quality of its jewelry and for its atmosphere of quiet sophistication.
Inside the long showroom, a Waterford crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Displays of fine giftware, including Arthur Court and Royal Doulton table settings shine in mahogany and glass cabinets, and a library-like stillness accents the elegant surroundings.
The business’s present owner and majority stockholder is Joe Chapman, who has worked at Reuschlein’s since 1969 when he was hired as a delivery boy prior to his 18th birthday. He and the store’s other employees, both tenured and new, continue to serve the public via the oldest retail business in downtown Huntington, now settled in its fifth location at 947 Third Ave.
“We get around!” said Debbie Merritt, who began working at Reuschlein’s in 1977. “But no matter how old the business grows or where it moves, our rule has never and will never change. Customer service is our greatest priority. We offer quality merchandise and quality service, including free delivery and free gift wrap in our signature silver and white packaging.”
Reuschlein’s moved to its present location in November 2006. “We noticed many of our neighbors on Fourth Avenue like Nick’s News and Chili Willi’s had closed or moved,” Chapman said. “The traffic pattern changed. We are a destination store, but we rely on walk-in business to develop new customers. And, when you’re off the beaten path, few people walk by.
“The center of Huntington shifted one block with the construction of Pullman Square, and we wanted to stay in the retail mix. It is a constant battle to court new customers, and to date, it has proven to be a wise move.”
Like many successful, enduring businesses, Reuschlein’s boasts a modest beginning. In the fall of 1891, a jeweler named Harry J. Homrich, a native of Martinsburg, W.Va., came to Huntington from Columbus, Ohio, where he had been a watch salesman. Prior to that, he owned and operated a jewelry store in Martinsburg. In April 1892, Homrich opened his new store, Homrich Jewelers, at 915 Third Ave.
Homrich’s decision to locate his business in Huntington was sound. Then a bustling young city of more than 10,000 residents, Huntington was a central hub for the trains of the C&O Railway, and a few years later, the B&O System. There were electric streetcars rolling on rails down Third Avenue, which linked Huntington with Guyandotte. At the time, it was the city’s busiest thoroughfare, with businesses of every description lining the street.
Homrich kept his store on Third Avenue until 1914 when he moved the business into a new location at 316 Ninth Street. The building would later house Nasser’s women’s clothing business.
In 1903, Charles F. Reuschlein, who had recently moved to Huntington from his hometown of Cumberland, Md., became associated with Homrich in the jewelry business. This association continued until Homrich retired Dec. 31, 1931. Shortly thereafter, Reuschlein purchased most of Homrich’s merchandise, rented the Ninth Street building and re-named the store C.F. Reuschlein Jewelers. Three years later he hired 15-year-old William A. “Buck” Thompson as an errand boy. Thompson would later become Reuschlein’s vice president and manager.
In a 1993 interview with the Huntington Quarterly, Thompson recalled learning the jewelry trade under Reuschlein’s guidance. “He had great mechanical skills in engraving, jewelry, watch and clock repair. He could do it all,” Thompson said.
In 1937, downtown merchants endured the hardships of the Ohio River flood that inundated much of the city. Thompson remembered Reuschlein stacked the jewelry counters atop wooden horses in a futile attempt to prevent flood damage. After the high water receded, the lengthy clean-up process began.
“I can remember being at the back of the store with a hose, trying to spray all the mud and silt out the front door,” Thompson said. A presumably airtight vault gushed with water as it was opened, Thompson said, and a 1914 vintage cash register, which continues to be displayed in the store, “rang up a drawer full of mud.”
In 1948, the store moved to 940 Third Ave., across the street from its original location.
Reuschlein died Jan. 12, 1963, at the age of 85. According to Thompson, the store’s founder was an active retailer well into his 80’s and left a legacy of exemplary business transactions. “Mr. Reuschlein was straight and honest with everyone,” Thompson said. “He was the most honest man I ever knew.”
Another upheaval for downtown merchants came during the early 1970s when a local urban renewal project began. Blocks of buildings along the north side of Third Avenue, including the Reuschlein building, were slated for demolition.
Store management chose a five-story building at 825 Fourth Ave., formerly the Morgan Arcade, as the new site for the jewelry store. The building was purchased and remodeled; the first floor became the showroom, and the basement was renovated for merchandising and storage.
A steadfast symbol of Reuschlein’s is the tall, stately clock that has traveled with the store since its inception. It now stands overlooking Pullman Square in front of Reuschlein’s current site. It is believed that Homrich purchased the timepiece shortly after he opened his store in 1892 to stand as a emblem of his business. The clock has been telling time in downtown Huntington for more than 100 years.
A local clock expert has stated that the Seth Thomas Clock Co. crafted the 20-foot-high, four-faced, cast iron clock in Europe during the late 1880s. It is one of only six of its kind in the world and weighs approximately three tons. The clock, which has been labeled “a piece of late 19th Century Americana,” has survived not only the high water of the 1937 flood, but also the impact of an out-of-control truck on a rainy night in May 1968.
Thompson said some people warned him against trying to restore the timepiece following the truck’s impact, as it was thought to be beyond repair. But Ray Gallaher, a former jeweler with Reuschlein’s, and a team of clock repairmen and artists spent ten months restoring the firm’s trademark to its near-original condition. The clock does not keep time as reliably as it once did, but it continues to be an integral part of the store’s exterior.
Thompson alluded to a modern obstacle threatening independent jewelers during his 1993 Huntington Quarterly interview. “Your jeweler used to be like your lawyer or your doctor,” Thompson said. “These days, people simply shop around for price.”
Accordingly, Chapman encourages customers to consider a variety of factors when purchasing jewelry instead of focusing narrowly on price. “We make every attempt to educate new or younger customers regarding the diamond they want to purchase,” Chapman said. “We encourage them to do their research because we want them to make an educated decision, but in addition to price, we hope the customer also will consider quality and value.
“Many new customers are intimidated by Reuschlein’s because of its graceful, stately appearance, but they often are surprised when they decide to come in and look around. We offer loose goods, including mountings and stones, which allows our customers to personalize their purchases and to select a product that meets or exceeds their expectations of quality while falling within a price range that also meets their budget. We also try to accommodate our customers. We might be small, but most anything a customer desires is only a phone call or a Fed Ex package away.”
Reuschlein’s became a member of the American Gem Society in 1987, a distinction that fewer than 1,500 jewelry stores in the United States can claim. The American Gem Society holds its members to a code of ethics that emphasizes education and professionalism. To maintain membership, Chapman is required to pass an exam each year.
Chapman and Merritt are optimistic about the future of Reuschlein’s as well as the future of downtown Huntington.
“If there is something I can’t provide for a customer, I try to send them to other downtown jewelers,” Chapman said. “The growth of malls and ‘supercenters’ is slowing, while downtowns are being revived, and specialty stores are flourishing.
“People long for quality restaurants and merchants in downtown Huntington, but they must remember to patronize these businesses to keep them open. And, as retailers, we need to work together to offer our local consumers increased variety.”
Merritt agreed. “It’s exciting! You can park your car downtown, and within walking distance you will find an assortment of restaurants and retail selections as well as a state-of-the-art theater. It is fast becoming one-stop shopping!”
