One of Freehold Borough’s landmark businesses will close its doors in the very near future. Ballew Jewelers, 5 W. Main St., is going out of business, according to owner John Ballew.
Ballew said Freehold Borough’s downtown district “no longer supports us the way we need it to. It is not a shopping town anymore.”
He said the struggling economy has hit the store’s customer base, which he described as upper middle class individuals, “really hard,” especially over the last five years.
In addition, “the downtown is not a shopping location. People come to eat here. If they come to us (to do business), they see us and then they leave. They don’t stay to shop,” Ballew said.
The business began in 1925 when Sara and James Ballew took over an existing jewelry business, Reussilles’Jewelers, which had opened in 1885. Sara and James, who were John Ballew’s grandparents, bought the Main Street business, which has remained a destination for individuals who are in the market for high quality gems.
James Ballew was originally the watchmaker for the Reussilles store in Freehold Borough and another location in Red Bank.
Ballew Jewelers was originally located at 13W. Main St. and moved to its current location at 5W. Main St. in 1952.
Ballew said the Red Bank store, which he bought 25 years ago, closed in 2010 for the same reasons he is closing the Freehold Borough location.
The family still owns and operates a jewelry store in Sea Girt, which opened 12 years ago. The Sea Girt store, which is in what Ballew called a “power strip (mall)” on Route 35, will remain open. Merchandise at the Freehold Borough location will be on sale from 20 to 70 percent off until the stock is gone, according to Ballew.