Katrina Jones takes the helm at Gregory Jewelers
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Bill Poteat
Editor Emeritus
The new owners of Gregory Jewelers, Katrina and Justin Jones, will reopen the store on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Gregory Jewelers, a mainstay of downtown Morganton for nearly 80 years, closed its doors in late June after a weeks-long going out of business sale.
Turns out, its absence will be a brief one.
Gregory Jewelers, now owned by Katrina Jones and her husband, Justin, will reopen its doors on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
The store’s previous owners, Darwin and Debbie Wilder, had decided earlier this spring that it was time to retire and spend more time with family and traveling.
At the time they announced their retirement and put the store up for sale, Debbie was very specific about the type of person to whom they preferred to sell the venerable business.
“We’re looking for an offer from a buyer who would like to continue the business,” she said. “But we’re going to be very careful and selective about who we might sell to. We have a responsibility to this community.”
Turns out, they did not have to look far to find the perfect candidate.
Katrina began working at Gregory Jewelers for the Wilders back in November of 2020, back when the nation and small retail stores were still grappling with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The first thing that struck me was the environment of this business,” said Katrina. “It was a family environment. It was a safe environment. It was an environment where everyone was treated fairly and with respect.”
The Wilders, of course, have often said that their goal when they acquired the business in 2017 was to continue the traditions of caring and service established by the Gregory family, who owned and operated the business for nearly 70 years.
Katrina, a native of Caldwell County and a 2003 graduate of South Caldwell High School, had worked in a number of jobs, “journey after journey,” as she put it, before arriving at Gregory Jewelers.
“It felt like coming home,” she said of joining the team with the Wilders. “It was my first time in the jewelry business, but I was never afraid to ask questions and they were constantly supporting me, constantly teaching me what I needed to know.”
“Katrina walked through that door with a desire to learn,” said Darwin. “And she learned very quickly. She began taking the classes that were a necessity for her to be able to answer customer questions.”
Although she had thought joining a new business in an unfamiliar field would be stressful, Katrina said, “We laughed a whole lot more than we fussed or argued.”
When the Wilders first spoke of their intent to sell the store and retire, Katrina said she was initially hesitant to step up as a potential buyer. But as she thought more about it, her attitude changed.
“I just could not see myself working anywhere else,” she said. “And I thought, ‘(The Wilders) have invested a lot of time and energy in me. They have convinced me that I can do it.”
Supporting her in the effort will be husband Justin, a civil engineer who works in Charlotte. “I’ll be helping out on the business end,” he said, “perhaps helping with the accounting.”
As was the case with the Wilders, Nancy Gregory, widow of the late Steve Gregory who died earlier this year, will continue to own the building while Katrina will own the business.
And, Katrina promised, “It will still be the same Gregory Jewelers. Same environment. Same level of trust. Good value for your money. We will continue to do appraisals. In-house repairs. And we’ll continue to change watch batteries.”
While the store will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 5, that date will not mark a “grand reopening.” That, she said, will come later in the autumn as she builds back the store’s inventory.
The hours of the store will be as they were previously: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with occasional Saturday hours during the holiday season.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity that I’ve been presented with,” Katrina concluded. “I’m going to do everything I can to continue the record of success here.”
