January 30, 2007 - Volume 16, No. 5

a Winkler Company publication

Also featuring photos from our monthly supplement...

American Foursquare on East Schantz Avenue

New Photo Gallery
Auto Show 2007

Rife Jewelers celebrates 70th Anniversary

By Janie Ridd

William Rife Co. Jewelers was founded in 1937 by M.C. “William” Rife. The company was originally located in the Wurlitzer Building on South Ludlow Street in downtown Dayton, and specialized in jewelry, watches, watch repair and small appliances such as toasters and electric shavers.

After high school, “Bill” left his family’s farm in central Ohio to learn watch making at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Bill’s son, Tom, also trained as a watch maker and studied with Frank Fogler, in Cincinnati. Fogler was an Austrian craftsman who was trained in Switzerland.

Tom joined his dad’s business in early 1950. Working six days a week at the store and repairing watches at home, Tom inherited a strong work ethic from his father. He and his wife, Ada, are still active in the business today.

Photo by Lance winkler

Pictured, left to right: Erin Jaynes, Chris DePew, Sheryl Merker, Ada Rife and Thomas S. Rife.

As the south suburbs grew, so did Rife’s customer base residing there. Later in 1950, Bill and Tom decided to open a second location to be closer to/better able to service their patrons from Oakwood and Van Buren Township (soon to be Kettering). The site at 2411 Far Hills was selected, within the Oakwood business district and with a shared front entry with the bakery next door.

The new store opened in November, just in time for the Holiday rush. Bill’s wife Elizabeth and son Tom co-managed the new store. When the store opened, Rife was the only jewelry store between downtown Dayton and Lebanon. As a result of business growth, the downtown store was incorporated into the Oakwood location in 1962.

Over the years, Rife Jewelers has tripled their space at 2411 Far Hills Avenue, taking over the neighboring bakery in 1968 and a beauty salon in 1995. The additional space has allowed them to expand their jewelry and watch selection, and also offer a wide mix of gift items and home décor pieces.

All of the merchandise Rife Jewelers carried was chosen by Tom and his wife, Ada, who worked along side her husband in the store. Tom purchased the jewelry items, while the gift merchandise was purchased by Ada. In 1978 she added a much larger baby gift section after the birth of their first grandchild.

For designer lines, the store carries diamond designs by Finelli, jewelry by Kasper & Esh, Kurt Gutmann, Lorenzo, Gottlieb, J.P. Knight and T. Van.

Sheryl Rife Merker and Chris Rife Depew, daughters of Tom and Ada Rife, worked in the store as children. Both tried other occupations after graduating from high school, but preferred working for the family business. Sheryl now manages the store and purchases the jewelry items, while Chris handles the accounting, finances and purchase of all gift merchandise. Both display the strong work ethic passed down to them by their father and grandfather. Sheryl and Chris have added more craftsmen to their extended business family – a goldsmith and a certified graduate gemologist. This allows them to focus on running the business.

Wm. Rife Co. Jewelers is still a family-run business that remains loyal to Bill’s original philosophy of offering exceptional customer service while selling high quality merchandise at a fair price. It’s a philosophy that Erin Jaynes, Sheryl’s youngest daughter, has wholeheartedly accepted. Erin is now a fourth generation learning the family business and assisting in buying jewelry and gift items.

Rife Jewelers has remained successful despite increasing competitive pressure, namely the Internet and “mall” jewelers, proving there is still a demand for old-fashioned service, professional advice, honesty, integrity and high quality merchandise.

In 2007, Wm. Rife Co. Jewelers will be celebrating their longevity with customers and the community which has supported the store all these years. Throughout the year, they’ll be holding drawings for gift certificates and a grand prize 70 pt diamond.

Happy 70th Rife Jewelers. May you have 70 more years of success.

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