Samuel Gordon Jewelers 108 Years Young! Over a century ago, Samuel Gordon emigrated from Europe and settled in Oklahoma City, then a bustling town grown prosperous on cattle and agricultural business. Samuel opened a small jewelry store downtown and began to thrive. Later, son Norman showed a passion for his dad’s work and wound up devoting his entire career to Samuel Gordon Jewelers. When the elder Gordon passed away in 1956, Norman and his wife Betty ran the business, which continued to grow and flourish.
The third generation
When Norman died in 1980, it was his oldest son Gary who took the reins at Samuel Gordon Jewelers. Since his father had contributed to expanding and growing the business that grandfather Samuel had left him, Gary wanted to do the same for his own father. New brand names were added, and new talent was hired for sales, the support staff, and the jewelry shop. Gary Gordon also instituted a broad scale remodeling program for the firm’s three locations.
One Store
As Oklahoma City grew, so did Samuel Gordon Jewelers. By the end of the 1980s, the business was ready for a big change. The decision was made to consolidate all three locations, and Gary Gordon began looking at sites. He wanted a neighborhood that was upscale and yet convenient. He finally selected a 12,000-square-foot building, a former Goodyear Tire store situated directly across from the city’s premier shopping location, Penn Square Mall. The facility would be completely remodeled from the ground up.
The finishing touches
Award-winning architect Rand Elliott, known for his high level of creativity, was chosen to do the renovation work. Elliott’s vision was to create a themed environment that was elegant, casual and inviting. The result was all that Gary and the Samuel Gordon staff could have hoped for. Samuel Gordon Jewelers closed its three stores and, on November 1, 1990, they opened the new Samuel Gordon Superstore. Though considered a somewhat risky move by some, the store was an immediate success. Now customers could be offered a very wide selection of merchandise under one roof. The experience and expertise of the entire Gordon organization would always be on-site and available.
Enter glamorous name brands
The firm is now the official store for many nationally advertised collections, including Tacori, Jeff Cooper, Scott Kay, Jack Kelege, Verragio, Leslie Greene, Lagos, Gregg Ruth, Michael M, La Reina, Arista, LeVian, and Honora Pearls, to name just a few. The firm offers TAG-Heuer, Raymond Weil, Tissot, and Icelink in its segregated "Swiss Watch Boutique," located prominently on the main showroom floor.
The fourth generation
Gary's son, Daniel, delighted his father in 1996 when he made the decision to make Samuel Gordon Jewelers his career choice. As the company's president, Daniel serves as merchandise buyer and handles all advertising and promotion campaigns. Daniel also created an unprecedented, award winning social networking presence on the Internet, changing and updating the firm's business model more dramatically than any change ever made in the history of the company!
The Secret of Success
When asked about the firm’s future, both Gary and Daniel reflect for a moment. We plan to definitely stay on the path the firm is on: more jewelry and watch collections that are stylish, timeless, and fairly priced. We’ll continue to stock the largest selection of unset diamonds in this market and supply a Gemex Light Performance Analysis Report with every center diamond we sell. And finally, we will always remember that the customer is king; we know how fortunate we are when anyone, for whatever reason, walks in our door.