March
2002
After
51 years, Johnston Jewelers still a fixture in Trenton
By
Joe Emanski
Robert
Johnston never knew he'd wind up in Trenton as a boy. The Mooresville,
N.C., native once pitched head-to-head against Hall of Fame baseball
player Hoyt Wilhelm in semipro ball. But he happened upon the City
of Trenton more or less by accident: and appropriately enough for
a jeweler, it was all because of romance.
He
was in the area awaiting his discharge from Fort Dix after his tour
in World War II. "While I was here, I met a woman," says
Mr. Johnson. "That's where it all started." That woman
became his wife, Stephanie. They met at a roller-skating rink on
Lalor Street. Today they have three children and seven grandchildren.
Upon
settling in Trenton, Mr. Johnston decided he wanted to learn a trade,
and the trade he chose was watchmaking. He attended the Bulova School
of Watchmaking as well as New York University, and decided that
jewelry was a business he wanted to pursue full time. Today, though
it has changed locations several times, Johnston Jewelers is serving
customers as it has since 1951.
As
you're walking down West State Street, just off the Commons, you
might miss Johnston Jewelers classy little store beside the First
Union building. Johnston Jewelers doesn't carry as much inventory
as it did once upon a time, but it has maintained a solid base of
loyal customers. "We've been around such a long time that we
have third and fourth generations coming in here," said Mr.
Johnston.
In
terms of what you can find at Johnston Jewelers, Mr. Johnston says,
"No specialties. We carry just about everything." His
daughter, Susan Edwards, takes a more detailed approach. "We
carry watches, chains, rings, that sort of thing." Their customer
base consists largely of government workers who have easy access
to the West State Street location, but local residents certainly
count for their fair share of business.
It's
a sad fact that when people these days think of Trenton, they don't
necessarily think of family-owned and operated stores like Johnston
Jewelers. When asked why Johnston Jewelers remained in the city
while other businesses such as Hamilton Jewelers oved out to the
suburbs, Ms. Edwards says, "Everyone else was moving, but he
didn't want to move. He said, 'Trenton's been good to me.'"
Johnston
Jewelers is located at 9 West State Street. They can be reached
at 609-394-1050.
