Family & Co. Jewelers: Creating sparkling memories for 85 years
Angelo Breaux’s 62nd birthday was a memorable one. “It was when the pandemic shutdown began, March 22, 2020,” recalls the third-generation owner of Family & Co. Jewelers in Marlton. “It was the first day we weren’t allowed to open the store, so I took a 62-mile motorcycle ride.”
That gave Angelo lots of time to think. In the weeks prior, he and Family & Co’s dedicated staff had done everything they could to prepare for unprecedented times. “We reached out to customers who had items on layaway or pieces in for repair,” he recalls. “We wrapped up a lot of sales right before the actual shut down.”
In the family’s 85 years in business – 51 of them at their current location in South Jersey – those early days of the pandemic were by far the most challenging. Angelo, who started working at the store alongside his parents as a teen, took out a second mortgage on his home to continue paying his 15 employees. (Fortunately, he was able to recoup money by taking advantage of federal loans offered to businesses.) And Family & Co. upgraded technology to work with customers in new ways. They continued creating custom-designed jewelry, selling store inventory and selling diamonds. During the months that everyone needed to keep a distance, they conducted contactless pick-ups and deliveries throughout South Jersey and sold merchandise online.
The great efforts paid off, and now business is booming, he says, noting that the biggest uptick is the large numbers of people shopping for wedding and engagement rings in recent months. Angelo says he feels certain that in 2 years, when he hands off the business to the family’s fourth-generation jewelers – his son Angelo Jr. and daughter Jessica – Family & Co. will continue its tradition of excellence.
Besides great service, the ability to balance old-world craftsmanship with the latest in technology contributes to Family & Co.’s success and longevity.
“We’re grateful to be here, especially after the last couple years when so many businesses didn’t make it,” says Angelo. “In 15 years, we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary with the next generation leading the way.”
It all started in South Philadelphia with Angelo’s grandparents, Angelo and Louise Calapristi. Both Italian immigrants, they opened a watch repair business in 1937 that was passed on to his parents, Christine and Edwin Breaux. As a kid, Angelo lived with his mother and siblings and their grandparents while his father was on active duty in the Marines. Angelo loved working in the store and learning the ropes from his grandfather. After 26 years with the Marines, Edwin retired from the military and took over the store. Edwin’s decision to take the business across the bridge was a turning point, Angelo recalls.
“My parents had the foresight to recognize Marlton as a small town that was poised on the edge of growth,” he says. “Edwin immediately fell in love with the history and feel of Marlton and knew that it was the place to move his growing jewelry business to.”
His parents named the new store Ed & Chris Jewelers. To Angelo, who was 13 when it opened, the location seemed like the edge of civilization. The new shopping center was perfect but go a little further East and there was only farmland for miles.
A few years after his parents passed the store on to him, Angelo made the difficult decision to change the name to Family & Co. Jewelers. It was done to reflect that family members and longtime employees were committed to the business, he says. Among those loyal workers, longtime manager Ian Bralow started in 1993. And in addition to his children, Angelo Jr, a jewelry designer, and Jessica, a Graduate Gemologist, his 17-year-old granddaughter Skylar now works in the store taking photos for the website and jewelry appraisals. With her there, the 5th generation is officially on the job.
Although the store has never moved, Family & Co. has remodeled and expanded its showroom several times over the years. Plus, in addition to the 3,200-square-foot updated showroom, the company’s sophisticated website makes it possible to do business worldwide. But no matter how customers get to Family & Co., they will receive first-class service, Angelo says.
“We don’t pressure anyone to make purchases,” he says. “Nobody here is on commission. There’s no fighting over the clients, and we won’t try to upsell. We’re really just here to assist clients, give them answers to their questions and help them make the best decisions.”
Besides great service, the ability to balance old-world craftsmanship with the latest in technology contributes to Family & Co.’s success and longevity, he says. Technology is more important than ever given the sophisticated and ever-evolving tools now used to design jewelry. For that, Angelo Jr., called JR to avoid confusion with his dad, is a master. JR works closely with customers to design pieces with the use of CAD (computer-aided design programs) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing programs). Customers can even try on wax replicas of their pieces with the use of 3-D printers that can create life-size models.
In addition to the CAD/CAM designing, Family & Co. provides expert and creative engraving – not just of words but of any design on any metal. Logos, animals, floral patterns, family crests and fantasy images are just a few of the many designs that can be engraved.
“JR’s imagination is the source of our beautiful designs, as well as inspiration from nature, travel and life experiences,” Angelo adds.
Family & Co. also offers a large selection of both GIA certified earth-grown diamonds and lab-grown diamonds. “We believe that you should have choices,” he says. “And we have a very generous lifetime upgrade policy. When you trade your diamond back to us, you receive every penny you spent.”
Family’s selection of bridal jewelry is unmatched in the area, he adds. The store carries engagement and wedding bands by top designers, including Verragio. As a Verragio Premier Boutique, Family & Co. has the largest selection of the designer’s collection in the area.
Angelo says that giving back to the community is as important to his family as selling jewelry. Over the years, the business has donated and sponsored events for Operation Yellow Ribbon, the Evesham Education Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and many others.
“This is a tradition started by my parents, who always believed in supporting the community,” he says. “For all the ways South Jersey has supported Family & Co over the years, we want to give back in any way we can.”
Services:
Appraisals
Custom Design
Buy & Sell/Trade
Engraving
Repair & Sizing
Watch Repair
Special Financing
Lifetime Upgrades
856-983-6337 | familyjewelers.com | 65 East Route 70, Marlton