Troll’s Jewelry downtown fixture for 3 generations
Salem News, Ohio
By ELIZABETH EWING/Salem News staff writer
SALEM – There are not many downtown businesses that can say they have served three generations of customers, but Jackie Troll of Troll’s Jewelry, 581 E. State St., is proud to count her store as one of that number.
Troll’s Jewelry got its beginning in 1934 when Jackie’s father, Foster “Heck” Troll, had trouble finding work during the Depression and fell back on the training an uncle had given him in watch and clock repair.
He opened the original store, also located on State Street, two doors east of the present location. Over the years, that was the only move Troll’s Jewelry made, just down the block to a bigger location.
While the site of the store hasn’t changed much, their offerings have always had to shift with the times, Jackie explained. Her father added china, sterling and silver flatware, and jewelry to his repair services, but the specifics of those selections has shifted with the times.
Jackie recalled that before she really got involved in the business end of the store, in the 1940s and 50s, yellow gold jewelry was extremely popular, but since then white gold and platinum, as well as silver, have become more popular.
She added that the store sells more jewelry overall now than in the past. “We used to sell a lot of china, sterling, and silver flatware, but people live more casually now. There’s less of a market for that,” she said.
Not only has Jackie witnessed change in her own business, she has seen a transformation in the downtown area as a whole. “There’s certainly been a major change. There used to be three or four shoe stores, ladies ready-to-wear-stores… It has changed radically,” she remarked.
“One reason we survive is we try to give individual attention and sell quality,” she noted. Jackie sees this as a key to the jeweler’s viability. In addition, she said, the store has relied on dedicated employees, like long-time staff members Mindy Schwingle and Ruth Evans.
Another part of that focus on quality is Jackie’s membership in the American Gemological Society. Since 1977, she has passed a yearly exam to retain her certification, which demands a high level of knowledge as well as ethics and fair business practices. She attended the Gemological Institute of America and credits that education with part of her success.
Still involved in the day to day business, Jackie helps with the minor repairs done on the premises, doing appraisals, and setting up the window displays.
While other stores have come and gone, Troll’s is now serving the children and grandchildren of original customers. “We pride ourselves on that. It’s a very nice compliment to us. We try to give individual attention and help people find exactly what they want,” Jackie concluded.
Elizabeth Ewing can be reached at eewing@salemnews.net
