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The Store
Holly Jackson and his wife Ellen opened Jackson Jewelers in the spring of 1944. The store
measured about 500 square feet and was located north of downtown, at 225 Liberty Street. Holly's friends were concerned that a store so far away from downtown (downtown was a full block south of Liberty & Court
Streets) wouldn't get enough business to survive. Holly wasn't worried. He was confident that travelers headed to Portland would stop at Jackson's on their way out of town.
Well, the store survived the duration of the 20th century, and things are looking good for the 21st century as well.
We continue to maintain our location at 225 Liberty Street,
NE. We did double our floor space during a 1980 remodel project. In 1994 we expanded the store again to include more display space and upstairs offices. Our most recent
project has been to convert our basement into an efficient workspace for our in-house goldsmith, as well as updating our lunchroom, bathrooms, and storage areas. We're still
convinced that this is the ideal location for our store. We enjoy sweeping the sidewalk and seeing the sun and rain as we work. We are strong
advocates for maintaining the character and beauty of our historic downtown buildings.
The People
Holly Jackson was a watchmaker and sales clerk at Pomeroy & Keene for 13 years. Then he was called to join the Service as a Mechanical Specialist in the Naval Aviation section of the
Navy. His naval training was in Chicago, Illinois. Holly and Ellen's first son, Philip, was born in Chicago during this time. Upon their return to Salem, their 2nd son Clark was born. Holly
opened a small watch repair shop in the Capital Tower (then called the Livesly Tower Building). When the Liberty Street location became available, Holly and Ellen pulled together their
resources to open Jackson Jewelers.
Holly and William Garver worked together as watchmakers and sales clerks for 35 years at
Jackson's. At one point the store employed 5 watchmakers as well as additional 6 sales clerks. Ellen worked at the store when needed, but her primary job was caring for Phil, Clark, and
their youngest son Ralph.
Both Phil and Ralph opted to work in the family business. Phil joined the store in the 1960's,
and Ralph joined in the 1970's. Both "boys" were schooled in Los Angeles at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), with additional college classes in business. They both admit that
their on-the-job training with their father and Mr. Garver was their most valuable education.
The boys took over primary operation of the store during the 1980's. Holly passed away in July
, 1994. Phil and Ralph currently employ two watchmakers, a goldsmith, a bookkeeper, and five retail sales clerks. Two of the sales people have worked with Ralph and Phil for over 20 years
each, and a third salesperson has over 20 years of jewelry sales experience. Ralph's son Tyler joined the store in 2000.
That's it for now. We'll keep you posted on new developments.
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