Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler consolidates, centers itself in Bellevue

It wasn't an easy decision. But for Steven Goldfarb, closing the Seattle location of his family's jewelry business, Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, had to be done. After adding the location at 600 Union St., Seattle five years ago, the Bellevue jeweler was doubling its efforts but not its profits. Going from store to store was diluting the time Goldfarb could dedicate the overall quality of Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler as a whole.

By Gabrielle Nomura • November 21, 2011 7:21 pm
Steven Goldfarb
Steven Goldfarb

It wasn’t an easy decision. But for Steven Goldfarb, closing the Seattle location of his family’s jewelry business, Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, had to be done.

After adding the location at 600 Union St., Seattle five years ago, the Bellevue jeweler was doubling its efforts but not its profits. Going from store-to-store was diluting the time Steven and his staff could dedicate to the overall quality of Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler.

“The strength of the business has always centered on our Bellevue store,” said Steven, president of the company which was founded by his father. Steven’s grandfather was a jeweler, too.

Now, the 18-person company will be consolidating into its original location at 305 Bellevue Way, which it’s maintained for 32 years. The Seattle store is holding a liquidation sale and will be totally closed for business in mid-January.

But it’s not all a loss. The stint in Seattle was useful in getting the word out to folks across the bridge, said Steven, who’s been pleased with his stores’ reputation.

“Most people think we’ve been around for 100 years. I don’t usually correct them.”

What Steven will miss is the international array of one-time travelers who come to the city for conferences or on cruise ships. While Bellevue has an international workforce thanks to Microsoft, he always enjoyed meeting folks from places such as Egypt and Ireland on a regular basis.

Still, many of Goldfarb’s regular customers are Bellevue couples who bought their engagement rings or watches in the 1980s, when the store was new, and their children, grandchildren, friends and relatives.

People frequent the store for the attention to detail, from knowing costumers by name, to selling beloved brands such as Cartier, Omega, and Rolex. Being greeted by Steven’s friendly Havanese dog usually makes customers feel at home, too.

“We’re looking forward to spending more of our time with our customers,” Steven said.

He hopes those customers will still include Seattleites.

For more information about the closing sale, go to http://www.agjeweler.com/, 206-264-9393.