3/30/2006
Carolyn Saul Logan Thomas Jewelers "I always had an interest in Thomas Jewelers." Sue Thomas Schmidt continues, "I worked at the store starting in the seventh grade. When I went to college in Iowa City, I worked for a jeweler there. I came back to work with dad in 1980." Sue bought Thomas Jewelers, located at 606 Sumner, from her father, Bob Thomas, in 1988. Bob and Harriet Thomas were married in 1947 and came to Humboldt in 1948. Bob was born in Fennimore, WI, and graduated from the Kansas City School of Watch Making. Sue recounts the Thomas' method of sizing up the place where they hoped to settle. "When they came to a town, mom would drop dad off at the jewelry store and she would drive around and check to see if there was a decent golf course." When Harriet reported to Bob that the Humboldt Country Club had sand greens, but looked promising, they decided to settle in Humboldt. "Dad's passion was the game of golf. He gave golf lessons to kids and many of the local businessmen - often in the back room of the store." Hof Jewelry At first Bob Thomas worked for Irwin "Skip" and Lucille Hof, as a watchmaker. His watch-repair bench was by the front window, on the right as one entered Hof Jewelry, which was in the John Reed Building at 608 Sumner. Skip Hof died in 1956 and Thomas went into partnership with Lucille Hof. He eventually purchased the business in 1964, establishing Thomas Jewelers. In 1977, Thomas and Clark Lane built a new building on Sumner Avenue to house the jewelry store and a clothing store. After Sue bought the business, Bob was semi-retired, continuing to work part-time at the store. Rhinestones, China, and Charms Sue describes the changes in the jewelry business. "One of the big jobs used to be polishing the silver. We sold a lot of silver plate. Now it's mostly stainless steel. No one wants to polish silver anymore. Rhinestone jewelry was very popular, as well." Rhinestones are manmade gems from highly refined glass. Various metals are used to color the glass before it's pressed into molds. The stones are then polished by machine, resulting in a brilliant glass stone. "We had a big bridal business dealing in china, crystal, and silverware. In the 80s and early 90s, the demand for fine china and crystal slowed down. Most of the younger brides were choosing more casual everyday dishes. When I discontinued the china, a woman who had a Bed & Breakfast in Carroll bought all the individual place settings that were left." "Today the demand is for necklaces, colored stone rings, earrings, diamond ring and band wedding sets, as well as traditional wedding sets. We sell better quality watches and clocks, and I do small repairs on watches. Sterling silver jewelry and white gold are popular now. Sterling silver charms have come back," comments Sue. Although charm bracelets have been around for some time, charm jewelry as we know it today came onto the scene after WWII. Soldiers leaving Europe and islands in the Pacific bought little handmade trinkets as gifts to bring home to their sweethearts. Native craftsmen fashioned small bits of metal into tiny replicas of common local items. Enterprising jewelers in the States quickly picked up on the trend to create charms for all occasions. In the 1950s, a charm bracelet was a must-have accessory for girls and women, but its appeal disappeared during the early 1970s. However, in 2001, women once again discovered the lure of the charm bracelet. A large portion of Thomas Jewelers' customers come from surrounding towns, such as Algona, Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge. Sue explains, "These customers appreciate having a jewelry store close by, where they can take their jewelry and watches for repair and make a selection from a range of quality merchandise." A long-time employee was Fern Morrison, who worked for both Hof and Thomas Jewelers for many years. Her daughter, Eileen (Morrison) MacVey says, "She really liked working for Mrs. Hof and the Thomases. They treated her like family and she appreciated that. Probably her least favorite thing about the job was all the dusting. Things had to be kept sparkling so they were attractive to the customers." Early Jewelers in Humboldt and Dakota City Humboldt's first jeweler in the 1860s was James B. Simmons. He repaired clocks and kept a small stock of goods to "delight the hearts of the fairer sex." The 1800s saw an increase in inexpensive jewelry for the average middle-class consumer. Pieces could be stamped out and molded, rather than being made by hand. This meant that quality jewelry could be created to a standard that could be repeated. Clocks and watches were a mainstay in every home. To keep time ticking over properly in the area, Simmons traveled to Rolfe once a week to clean and regulate their watches and clocks. In 1877, headlines in the February 10th issue of the Kosmos shouted, "Fire Fiend in Humboldt! $18,000 worth of property goes up in Smoke!" Along with other businesses in the Russell Block, Simmons suffered losses to his jewelry business and building, which was uninsured. The origin of the fire was a mystery, but it was believed to be arson. A. F. Hawkins started in the jewelry and watch business in Dakota City in 1879. He rented space in the McFarland drug store, where he had a fair stock of the ornaments that "delighted the fair sex." Brooches, Banks, and Bicycles Nathan H. Knowles established his jewelry business in Humboldt some time in the early 1870s. Mida Doan, in her account of life in Humboldt in the 1880s, reports that Knowles ". . . not only repaired our time pieces, but sold us pretty rings for our fingers and fine brooches to fasten our blouses, and sold other pretty trifles to delight the women." Brooches were extremely popular and were worn in a variety of ways - on the shoulder, at the neck or waist, in the hair, and on ribbons as necklaces and bracelets. Knowles was active in the community. In 1876, he was on the board of Directors for the Humboldt County Bank. He was also an enthusiastic bicyclist. In the summers of the 1890s, along with a parade of high-stepping horses hitched to carts and buggies trotting around the oval in Taft's Park, Nathan H. Knowles' bicycle club could be seen speeding round the track. The Optician and the Optometrist In the late 1800s, glasses were often fitted in jewelers' shops by an optician. In the 1900 census, Knowles lists his occupation as optician, as well as jeweler. At that time, training for many opticians consisted of a two-week course in refraction, offered by optical equipment companies. Some opticians were self-taught through textbooks or correspondence courses. At the beginning of the 20th century, opticians wanted to distinguish themselves from spectacle peddlers and medical oculists, so the American Association of Opticians adopted the term optometrist at its 1904 congress. Reed Jewelry John Alexander Reed moved to Humboldt and purchased Nathan H. Knowles' jewelry business in 1896. Reed had completed his high school education in his hometown of Sterling, IL, and learned watch repairing and engraving as an apprentice from a local jeweler. Some time after 1905, Reed studied at Still College in Des Moines and added optometry to his qualifications. Still College is now Des Moines University, an osteopathic medical college. Reed's first jewelry store was at 624 Sumner Avenue. In 1912, Reed moved to the new building he built at 608 Sumner, where Gary's Men's Wear is now located. John Reed retired in 1946, selling the business to Irwin H. Hof of Des Moines. Reed retained his optical business in the rear of the Hof Jewelry store. Thomas Jewelers still has the enormous safe in which Reed locked away his stock for safekeeping. The safe, manufactured by the Diebold Safe & Lock Co. in Dayton, OH, was dynamite proof and would release tear gas if holes were drilled in the door. In 1900 Deloss Woodward operated a watch, clock, and jewelry repair business in Humboldt. Business may not have been very good, because by 1910, the census listed him as an electrician for the Rural Telephone Line. Otto Matthies Jeweler - At the Sign of the Clock Otto C. Matthies also established a jewelry store in Humboldt, early in the 1900s. His first store was on the south side of Sumner Avenue. He moved to the north side in 1927, occupying the former Humboldt State Bank building, at 617 Sumner, where Balloon Buddies is now located. Matthies was able to use the bank's vault for storing his valuable stock of jewelry and silver plate. In a stroke of advertising genius, Matthies hung a large round clock that actually told the time above the entrance to his store. Matthies left Humboldt in 1936 and settled in Long Beach, CA. Around 1952 to 1957, there was a Preim's Jewelry Store at 510 Sumner, next to where Bank Iowa is now situated. Locke Jewelry On April 13, 1953, Ralph Locke opened his jewelry store at 517 Sumner, next to the Humota Theater. He offered watch, clock, jewelry repair and engraving. Locke was born in Dakota City in 1925, where he attended school. The family later moved to Storm Lake, where Locke graduated from Buena Vista College, with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. He taught mathematics and science and was a principal in public schools in Battle Creek and Moravia. He later entered the trade of watch making and for almost 40 years owned and operated Locke's Jewelry in Humboldt. In 1956, Dr. Don C. Whittlesey, optometrist, was located at 517-1/2 Sumner - at the rear of Locke Jewelry. He later established his own premises at 626 Sumner. "Pretty Trifles to Delight the Women" Early descriptions of a jeweler's stock emphasize its appeal to "the fairer sex." This misrepresents the importance of the jeweler in a community. In the early 1900s, the townspeople's eyesight was in the hands of jewelers, who were also opticians and optometrists. Jewelers kept the community's clocks and watches running and on time. The jeweler's stock of china, crystal, and silverware ensured that hostesses set a gracious and pleasing table. The jeweler honored special occasions - graduation, the winning of an award, marriage, birth of a baby, retirement - with watches, clocks, pens, silver cups, all engraved with a personal message. Today, the jewelry store still satisfies our desire to own something of beauty and value. |
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The Humboldt
Independent • Official paper of Humboldt County
Telephone: (515)
332-2514 |
