North Dakota jewelry store with roots dating back to 1906 closing - Minot Daily News
Al Torrington and his wife, Linda, didn’t have a retail background when they decided to buy Knowles Jewelry in 2006, so they weren’t sure what to expect.
“We were shaking in our shoes,” laughed Linda. “But when our first customer came in and bought a ruby ring, we thought, okay, maybe this will work.”
After more than a decade in the jewelry business, they’re now ready to retire so they can spend more time visiting their eight grandkids, Linda’s mother, traveling, or just having fun. They also want to spend time doing more volunteer work in the community.
The store, which began a going out of business sale last week, sells an array of fine quality jewelry including rings, wedding bands, earrings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, watches, baby jewelry, and sterling silver jewelry.
Although they didn’t have experience in the retail industry, the Torringtons got up to speed in the jewelry business by enrolling in courses taught by the Gemological Institute of America and attending labs in New York, where they received industry certifications.
“So, within the first year of owning the business, we felt that we had reached a point where we could be knowledgeable with everything associated with what we sell,” said Al Torrington, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force who later got a teaching degree.
Putting his MBA degree from college to work, Al took over the financial bookkeeping end of things. Linda – with a keen interest in jewelry – has been the creative talent and selected most of the jewelry the store offers.
With a financially diverse community, including those who serve in the military, the Torringtons felt it was important to make sure their selections had something anyone could afford.
“We have $18 box chains all the way up to a $10,000 diamond pendant,” she said. “We have something for everybody.”
One of the more unusual items the store has for sale is a $7,000 aquamarine pendant originally from Bangkok.
“It is amazing,” she said. “It’s a really unique cut.”
The store is named after its founder, who opened Knowles Jewelry in Bismarck in 1906. It changed hands several times over the years, and in 1984 two brothers decided to open a second store in Minot. That store underwent other ownership changes over the years until the Torringtons bought it in 2006. Each owner has kept the store’s original name.