Martin & Son Jewelers truly is a family business
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Tracy Martin is the primary owner and jewelry designer at the Main Street jewelry shop, which opened on Nov. 20. Her mother, Carol, works on the sales floor.
Tracy’s father and grandfather were the original owners of the business, which began in 1939 in Newark. The business had a long lease on the storefront there and only recently was in a position to move.
"When it came time, we didn’t look anywhere else. We knew we wanted to be in Metuchen," Tracy said, sitting in the newly refurbished upstairs lounge area of her shop. "My family does everything around here."
A niece takes dance lessons near the store, and a cleaners down the street stored her wedding dress, she said.
Tracy attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan but learned most of her jewelry skills from her father.
"I learned how to customize," she said. "My father did everything by hand, but now I use a computer. I’m very happy in how the store came out. We don’t want people to be intimidated; we have all price points — $10 and up."
To further the welcoming feeling, the store has a small waiting area with a large flatscreen TV, a gas-burning fireplace, armchairs, and a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. The Sentinel reporter sampled one, and it was delicious.
"We bake them fresh every morning," Tracy said, adding that the TV has come in handy when parents with children are shopping. "We ask them what channel they want to watch," and then the parents get to shop in peace.
Not only does the store sell jewelry, but Tracy designs her own pieces and will open a section of the store devoted to estate pieces. She also does appraisals and is a consultant to the FBI and the New Jersey Treasurer’s Office, appraising unclaimed property.
The store is furnished with several old, wood cabinets and display cases brought from the original store in Newark. The contractors and movers weren’t sure the old pieces would move without breaking, or that the cabinets would fit in the new space, Tracy said. Although they aren’t in the original patterns, with some reshuffling, the original furniture fit.
Reconstruction on the space began in January. Before the cosmetic elements could be worked on, contractors first needed to reinforce the building’s original woodwork, causing construction delays, Tracy explained. The building was finally finished just five days before the scheduled grand opening. The whole family — Carol’s other daughter, sonin law and grandchildren — were called in to help unpack and arrange the merchandise.
"We were here until 5 a.m. — every night," Tracy said. "We worked in shifts, coffee shifts, trying to get it all out."
Tracy likes the creative part of her job. She said that one day, a family brought a grandmother’s ring into the store, and they told her that they wished to have the woman’s two daughters share the ring. Tracy melted down the gold and created two rings from it, one for each daughter.