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Our Story
A family business founded as 'the anti-corporate jewelry store'
As someone who worked for corporate jewelry stores the first several decades of his career, Michael Fagan knew he wanted something different when he set out to open his own shop in 2018. For example, right off the bat, he wanted his store hours to meet the needs of both guests and staff. That means closing at 5 p.m. during the week each day, and being closed all day Sundays. It also means focusing on customization and customer service.
“When working for the corporate stores, I remember having to say ‘sorry’ to special requests or that we needed to forward problems to our headquarters. After more than 30 years of working mall hours, and having to tell people no for donations or giving false hope- I decided if this community was going to support me, I would support it.”
With a background in accounting and bookkeeping, Michael was undaunted by the paperwork process. But other aspects were new to him… such as choosing a name. Once he had secured property, Fagan reached out to his friend Jason Hill of Fine Signs and Graphics about signage—and mentioned his various ideas for naming the business. Then Micheal mentioned offhand that the name “Williamsburg Jewelers” was available because that longtime store had been closed nearly 7 years, since the owners’ retirement, and they had not retained rights to the name.
Michael on opening day, taking down the "coming soon" sign
“He looked me in the eye and said, ‘If you don’t take that name, you’re a fool.’ Then he said the words that almost made me run inside to buy it: ‘If you don’t take that name, someone else is going to,’” he said. “So I took advantage of the opportunity. People used to come in and ask if we bought the store from Roy and Carol. They were wonderful people, but no, my store shares nothing with theirs but a name—which I’ve legally secured.”
The store officially launched in January 2019, a timing Michael carefully chose. It opened with a bang, he said, because he exercised restraint NOT to open the previous two months, during the chaos of holiday retail. Since then, Williamsburg Jewelers has wowed customers both online and in the store.
Michael with his daughters, supporting one of their many charity causes.
When Michael worked for corporate jewelry stores, he said, “I didn’t get to do much to make my kids proud.” But now his three grown daughters get to feel good when the business gets a shout-out for making an impact in the community. Two of them—Erin and Alena—even work for Williamsburg Jewelers, making it a multi-generational family business.
“When someone comes to me—a jewelry purchase, repair or redesign—it’s almost 100% driven by emotion… celebrating something, mourning someone, expression of love," said Michael. "And Williamsburg Jewelers gets to play a small part in those stories. You’ll never hear me tell a customer, ‘This isn’t worth fixing.’”
We’re not going to be hyperfocused on sales and commissions; we’re just going to take the best care of people that we can."
