Brantford’s J.H. Young Fine Jewellers will be celebrating a significant milestone this year.
Having been in operation since 1900, the Young family has now officially been serving Brantford and the surrounding community for 125 years, making them the proud owners of the region’s oldest jewellers.
It all started back when James Henry Young purchased an existing jewellery store called, “Jones & Co. Opticians,” located then, in downtown Brantford at 86 Colborne St. At the time, jewellers and optometrists still used similar tools and often shared the same space.
Following the renaming of the business to “J.H. Young and Sons,” the retail establishment operated out of its original location for 86 years before opening two new locations in both the Eaton Market Square Mall and the Lynden Park Mall.
Just over 100 years later, in 2002, the Young family decided to relocate one final time to their current 3,000 sq. ft showroom at 126 Lynden Road.
Throughout the years, the establishment has proudly remained a family-owned operation. As young children, siblings David, Dianne, Paul and Graham Young, grew up visiting their father in the store, watching on as he made sales to various clients. By the time they were entering high school, they worked on weekends themselves, and later went on to pursue an education and gain valuable work experience before returning to the family business.
Following the passing of their mother, Betty, in 2009, the siblings officially became the fourth generation of Young family members to own the store.
With formal training from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and a passion for the jewellery industry, they’ve kept their family’s legacy alive and thriving.
“We feel incredibly honoured to be celebrating 125 years of serving the Brantford community,” said Dianne. “My brothers and I are now the fourth generation to run the business, and now the fifth generation has joined full-time as well, which makes it feel even more special. We’re incredibly lucky to have been able to continue this on.”
“Not too many businesses these days can say they’ve been through that many generations of the same family, so it’s pretty exciting,” added Graham.
Vanessa Young-Assel, Paul’s daughter, has followed in her family’s footsteps and received extensive training in order to join the team. As well, David’s daughter, Lauren Young, also works part-time as a sales associate, and the two are now the fifth generation of Young family members, to work in the business.
When it comes to what sets J.H. Young Fine Jewellers apart from similar establishments, David said it was simple.
“We feel that we really give you the best value for your dollar, and that you’re getting a personalized service,” he said. “We’re here to back up what we sold today, tomorrow, and if you need something custom designed, we have full custom design capabilities from start to finish. Not many jewellers can say that these days and so we’re very proud of that.”
Graham later added that another unique thing about their business is that everything is done in house.
“It’s not like we farm the work out to somebody else. From us doing the design, to finishing it, and setting it, it’s all done here,” he said. “We’re kind of unique in that way and it really allows us to make our customer’s vision a reality.”
Coupling all of that with the fact that their long-standing staff make up a team of knowledgeable sales associates, master goldsmiths, diamond setters, GIA-certified gemologists and graduate jewellers, the siblings truly pride themselves for their work.
Inside of their recently renovated storefront, J.H. Young Fine Jewellers offers a range of in store services such as restoration and repair, appraisals, engraving and custom designs.
In addition to all of that, the store stocks an array of brands and styles. From Simon G. to Shy Creation, Gabriel & Co., Pandora, Longines, Movado and more, there are a variety of price points available in store so that every customer has the opportunity to invest in a special and unique piece of their own.
They’ve also begun carrying the Swarovski line as of last week.
The siblings have also designed and curated their own brand, the James Robert bridal collection, named after their late father, and this year, they’ve released a special limited edition 125th Anniversary Collection.
“About a dozen pieces were created for our special 125th Anniversary Collection. Each piece is engraved with the ‘J.H.’ and ‘125,’” said Dianne. “We wanted to make sure we had a variety of pieces so there are of course, bracelets, some rings, necklaces and earrings.”
While they may have started out with a dozen pieces, they have around just seven pieces left at the time of publication.
To celebrate their 125th anniversary, as well as Mother’s Day, the siblings are offering 25 per cent off of everything in store, from Thursday, May 1 to Saturday, May 10.
They’re also planning to host an event to celebrate the anniversary in October.
“We’ll be having a special event to celebrate the anniversary, so we’ll have a tent set up outside and invite our clientele,” said Dianne. “Not only will it be a celebration, but it will also be a fundraiser for the Brantford General Hospital. We really wanted to be able to give back to the community that has always supported us, and so we’re hoping to raise $50,000.”
Overall, David said he and his siblings consider themselves fortunate.
“To get 125 years, we’re really very proud of that,” he said. “It’s been very nice to not only be known as Brantford’s oldest jeweller, but the oldest continually operating family business as well. We’ve been very fortunate, and we hope to continue for another 125.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
