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Eclectic group of talent joins forces: new jeweler on Main Street

Cole Fullmer, The Park Record
Co-owner of Woodbury Jewelers, Jordan Woodbury, inspects a ring for characteristics and possible flaws with a gem microscope Wednesday, April 24.
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Despite being open only a few months, Woodbury Jewelers, on Main Street, that specializes in hand crafted jewelry, has already had some unusual and eccentric requests from customers. Challenges like these, even if they entail designing "slider" cufflinks, are exactly why the eclectic group of jewelers joined creative talents and over 100 years of combined experience in the trade, said Jordan Woodbury, co-owner and store manager.

"A woman came in the store when we first opened and was looking everywhere in town for someone to design her custom cufflinks," Woodbury said. "Turns out, she and her husband own White Castle, and wanted their classic hamburger (the slider) designed into a cufflink. We just mailed out the final product a few days ago. These are the types of challenges that our team likes to pour their creative genius into. It’s our passion."

Whether it is re-purposing or redesigning an existing piece of jewelry or fabricating an unusual piece, the team which consists of: Debbe Woodbury, Bret Hancock, Markay Bouzaglou and Dan Lawrence, cover all aspects of the creating in-house, a luxury not found in most jeweler shops, said Jordan Woodbury.



"The hands you leave your precious jewelry in, are the hands it stays in," Jordan said "We have onsite designers that you can work with personally, making sure what you spend your money on is exactly what you want. People thank us for creating our custom pieces for them, but they have no idea that if it weren’t for our private connection in the store, we wouldn’t be able to make such personal pieces."

With a diverse range of talents, the crew, minus Hancock, originally contributed their skills at Park City Jewelers, only a stone’s throw away from their location at 421 Main Street, which was last occupied by Flat Rabbet, a vintage poster shop.



When asked why the group decided to leave their new competition and join forces in a small room, cluttered with tools and equipment the crew meticulously uses to create their pieces of art, which is displayed throughout their showroom, several voices started at once. Details of their departure, consisting of phrases and words such as, "expand" and "more creative freedom," mixed with "serendipity," "thrilled" and "work our passion, not our job". The only one silent was Cooper, the shop dog with tight lips.

After a break in the outburst, Jordan summed it up by saying, "We’re doing things differently here. We did a little design work at Park City Jewelers, but now we’re able to do a lot more. We are all creative people and that’s why we got into this trade."

According to Jordan, opening the new business on Main Street was surprisingly easy, despite the eight-month overhaul and renovation of the location, he described, as a very dark and cramped space.

"We were able to do a face lift on the place and let the light in," Jordan said. "Luckily, we got the doors opened just in time for the tail end of Sundance. The city was excited about our business and helped us get everything done in just a few months. We felt like they fast-tracked it for us."

Almost all of the pieces in the store are designs and hand-makes, done in-house. Between the collective aptitudes of the crew, they create distinctive designs, one-of-a-kind, and custom pieces for customers who want something special and cutting edge, or even a simple cleaning, affirmed Jordan.

"A lot of people assume that since we are a jewelry store in a tourist town, we’re out to take advantage of people, but that’s not the case here," Jordan said. "We cater to all dynamics of the business, from basic repairs to elaborate designs. We’re really a one-stop shop, not just a tourist browsing store. Locals should avoid the crowds and check us out during the shoulder season."

 

 

 

 


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