A local business owner has decided to close his shop after serving customers for over three decades.
For the past 34 years, Seneca Jewelers has been a staple of the Greenbrier Valley community. Located in the Red Oaks Shopping Center in Fairlea, the business is known for specialized repair work. It has also provided countless students with class rings and has given the community a local place to purchase special items.
Now, owner Keith McCormick has decided to close the business and begin his retirement. The business will officially close its doors on Dec. 31.
According to McCormick, the decision to close took a lot of planning, but it became an easier decision after his wife, Sheila, retired from the Greenbrier County Assessor’s Office in October.
“We have been planning this for about three or four years,” McCormick said. “We just felt like we could do that this year. Things worked out.”
McCormick explained that he started the business with co-owner David Shafer on Feb. 15, 1986.
“In the beginning, we had very little inventory to start out,” McCormick remembered. “We started out on a shoestring budget. I worked six days a week for the first couple of years.”
Over the years, the business grew, but McCormick’s working hours did not change that much. Customers have always been able to enter the store and see McCormick hard at work. His business partner, Shafer, retired in 2013.
“I have put a lot of hours with very little time off in 34 years,” McCormick said. “I take a week off during Thanksgiving to hunt and maybe two days in the summer to take a mini-vacation.”
McCormick admitted that the time he invested into the business was hard, but worthwhile because the favorite part of his job was meeting customers and helping them whenever he could.
“Over the years, I have probably sized 50,000 rings,” McCormick said. “It’s a lot of custom work. A lot of customers have been with us from the start. You see them about every Christmas. It makes you feel good when they come back year after year.”
Not only have customers enjoyed Seneca Jewelers, but employees have enjoyed their time there, as well.
Longtime employee Rose Humphreys said, “I have worked with Keith for 15 years and it has been a blessing.”
Her co-worker, Linda Bennett, added “I have been here almost eight years. It has been a lot of fun and I have enjoyed every minute of it.”
In his retirement, McCormick stated his plans are to spend as much time at home as possible. “I don’t plan to travel,” he stated. “I enjoy just working around my house.”
As for fond memories of his time at Seneca Jewelers, McCormick said he is going to miss his customers the most.
“I appreciate the loyalty of my customers,” McCormick noted. “I tried to treat them like I would want to be treated. If there was a problem, I tried to resolve it. I just tried to have good customer service.”
“I have been blessed. I really have,” McCormick said.
The store will hold inventory reduction sales and special Christmas sales throughout the month of December.
