A DIAMOND JUBILEE

At 75 years, Bowers Jewelers is a time-honored La Jolla family tradition

PHOTOS BY RONEIL CHAVEZ

FLANKED BY THE TRENDY SHOPS and designer boutiques of La Jolla’s Girard Avenue, Bowers Jewelers is proudly celebrating its 75th diamond jubilee year.

At the start of each day, owner Larry Combe arranges an eye-catching selection of exquisite jewelry and pieces d’art in the storefront’s two expansive windows. At day’s end, he steps outside and checks for fingerprints on the glass. “I look to see where the most fingerprints are,” Larry smiles. “That’s how I know what appealed most to passersby.”

The establishment bears the name of its founders, Ron and Margaret Bowers, who opened the first storefront on Wall Street in 1945. When Ron retired in 1980, he sold the business to Larry, who had been working there as a bench jeweler for a dozen years. Through the following decades, Larry and his wife, Sheila, have maintained the Bowers’ high bar for quality and customer service. Today, as the oldest jewelry store in La Jolla—and quite possibly all of San Diego—Bowers Jewelers is in a class of its own.

Local shoppers often step inside to say hello, while visitors like to behold the expansive store’s amazing array of upscale merchandise. Besides several long glass jewelry display cases and comfortable customer stools—Bowers features a delightful range of decorative art, lamps, and unique home décor. Larry calls this the old-school jewelry store approach. “We strive to offer unique home décor for people to truly treasure,” Larry says. “The same is true with our jewelry.”

With three skilled, professional jewelers on staff, Bowers makes about 25 percent of its jewelry. Larry and Sheila buy other exceptional pieces from individual artists and studios they discover. There’s always at least one jeweler on the premises who is happy to clean and check jewelry on the spot. There’s also a friendly and knowledgeable staff—all longtime members of La Jolla’s business community (including Chris, Nadia, Joel, Florence, Skip, and Skip’s dog, Bella), who make first-time guests feel right at home.

“As a brick-and-mortar store, we can give our customers real hand-shakes and a hands-on buying experience,” Larry says. “They can look, hold, try on, and ask us questions. Jewelry is a wearable art and it will always be around, so we want them to be completely happy.”

Quite a few La Jolla families have made Bowers Jewelers a multigenerational tradition for wedding rings and other custom jewelry. Recently, one third-generation customer told Larry he has instructed his son to go to Bowers, even before he has popped the question!

We applaud this iconic retailer—not just for reaching this impressive milestone—but for being a shining example of a family-owned business done right.

[ STOP BY AND SAY HAPPY 75TH! Bowers Jewelers 7860 Girard Ave, La Jolla 858.459.3678 ]