Isobel ‘Billie’ Rosenblum had knack for getting to know, keep loyal jewelry-store customers
\nHouston Chronicle, United States<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Often treated her clientele like guests<\/p>\n
By LYNWOOD ABRAM
\nCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Isobel “Billie” Rosenblum, who operated a successful jewelry store on the 15th floor of a downtown Houston office building, has died. She was 87.<\/p>\n
She seldom advertised her wares and depended on her clientele to spread the word about what is now Rosenblum Fine Jewelers and her personalized salesmanship.<\/p>\n
“Mother insisted on treating the customers as if they were guests in her home,” said her daughter, Jo Rosenblum King.<\/p>\n
“She offered them coffee and cookies and her friendship. She was just as happy entertaining them even if they never bought anything,” King said.<\/p>\n
One faithful customer, Edie Pruitt, remembers telling Rosenblum about the trip she was planning to Norway.<\/p>\n
“Having grown up in Houston, I didn’t have proper winter clothes,” Pruitt said. To her surprise, Rosenblum suggested that she borrow her full-length mink coat for the trip. “It was absolutely the most generous thing,” Pruitt said.<\/p>\n
Rosenblum hired her salespeople from the ranks of her customers, none of whom had previous sales experience, King said.<\/p>\n
“Obviously, they liked jewelry and so they knew something about it,” King said.<\/p>\n
One such was Nova Draughon, a customer since the 1960s who visited the store one day in 1989 and found Rosenblum pondering a problem.<\/p>\n
“She was going to California to see her new grandson, Sam, but couldn’t find someone to help in the store while she was gone. I told her I would do it.”<\/p>\n
As it turned out, Draughon worked for Rosenblum until the latter retired in 2001.<\/p>\n
“She was wonderful. Her curiosity about life knew no bounds. We would talk about our children, how wonderful or terrible they were at the time,” Draughon said.<\/p>\n
King said her mother “was the best interviewer since Barbara Walters.”<\/p>\n
“She wanted to find out what books the customers were reading, how their families were. She learned all about their lives,” King said.<\/p>\n
Rosenblum kept a little box containing plain gold rings. “She would give these loaner rings to customers who brought their wedding bands in for repair and felt uneasy without them,” King said.<\/p>\n
Attended college in Ohio<\/p>\n
A native of Fall River, Mass., Isobel Radovsky Rosenblum was the eighth of 12 children born to David Ruben Radovsky and Esther Simon Radovsky.
\nShe attended the University of Toledo in Ohio, where she met her future husband, Earle Edward Rosenblum. They were married in 1941.<\/p>\n
Shortly thereafter, Earle Rosenblum visited his sister in Del Rio and decided to become a Texan. In 1943, the Rosenblums moved to San Antonio, where Earle, despite having a degree in journalism and no experience in the jewelry business, landed a job with Zales Jewelers.<\/p>\n
Earle taught himself watchmaking and jewelry design, King said.<\/p>\n
In the mid-1940s, Zales opened a new store in Houston, and Earle was transferred here in charge of watch and jewelry repair.<\/p>\n
Took over in the ’80s<\/p>\n
In the 1950s, Earle leased the jewelry-repair department of Battelstein’s stores.
\nAfter about five years, he opened his own repair business on the 22nd floor of a building at 806 Main.<\/p>\n
“He gradually began selling a few things and added more and more jewelry,” King said.<\/p>\n
At first, Billie Rosenblum was strictly a homemaker.<\/p>\n
But later, she kept books for her husband and gradually moved into sales.<\/p>\n
Plagued by rain leaks on the building’s top floor, the Rosenblums moved their store to the 15th floor at 806 Main in 1980.<\/p>\n
In 1982, Earle suffered a stroke, and his wife took over as manager of the business. He died in 1996.<\/p>\n
When she retired in 2001, Billie Rosenblum entrusted the business to her daughter, Jo King.<\/p>\n
Shortly thereafter, King moved the business to a small space in the Hilton Hotel Houston Post Oak.<\/p>\n
“It was just time to move,” she said.<\/p>\n
Billie Rosenblum died June 24 after suffering a stroke.<\/p>\n
She leaves three daughters, Jo Rosenblum King and Niki DeMaio, both of Houston, and Debra Rosenblum of Philadelphia; a son, Eric Rosenblum of San Jose, Calif.; a sister, Avis Golub of Coos Bay, Ore.; three brothers, Lester Radovsky of Palm Beach, Fla., Dr. Saul Radovsky of Holliston, Mass., and Dr. Frank Radovsky of Corvallis, Ore.<\/p>\n
The funeral was held last week at Levy Funeral Directors.<\/p>\n
Burial was in Congregation Beth Yeshurun Cemetery-Post Oak.<\/p>\n
lynwood.abram@chron.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Isobel ‘Billie’ Rosenblum had knack for getting to know, keep loyal jewelry-store customers Houston Chronicle, United States Often treated her clientele like guests By LYNWOOD ABRAM Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Isobel “Billie” Rosenblum, who operated a successful jewelry store on the 15th floor of a downtown Houston office building, has died. She was 87. She […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n