Skeie's Jewelers
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Welcome to the newest Skeie's location at Oakway Center! We're proud of our showroom featuring an expanded jewelry selection and gift and stationary department. If you haven't visited us lately, we'd like to introduce you to the most beautiful jewelry in Eugene, presented in a world-class showroom. The company's leaders traveled to jewelry stores all over the world, taking notes on the greatest jewelry stores they could find. The results of their research have come to life in our beautiful new store.
Many of you have already visited us at Oakway. Many of our visitors have wondered why we chose to make the move. The answers are all below. Read on for the full story.
Ole Larsen Skeie, trained in the family jewelry business in Norway, immigrated to the United States and opened the first Skeie's Jewelers in Roundup, Montana early in the century.
Despite his success in Roundup, Ole Skeie's desire for something more than the sparse Montana plains caused him to move to a town in a young area that he thought would grow as quickly as his success. He packed up both his shop and family and moved to Eugene, Oregon on Willamette Street.
In 1922, Eugene was a flourishing community. Downtown Eugene was very cosmopolitan because it was the largest city for miles and miles. Eugene's successful university brought culture and fresh, educated citizens. Oregon was a lightly populated state. Eugene was a cultural epicenter that existed in stark contrast to the wilderness abound. For anything other than livestock feed and groceries, Eugene was a destination of choice. A young city, full of promise, Eugene was just the kind of place to that needed a quality jewelry store. It was also a great community in which to raise a family. The Skeie's Jewelers tradition of European craftsmanship and dedication to high-quality service was a welcome addition to the Eugene community.
Not only was Skeie's Jewelers thriving in Eugene's downtown, but the family was expanding as well. Ole welcomed his son-in-law, Rex Hamaker into his family and named him as his new business partner. They expanded to a new more modern store down the street. The larger jewelry store continued to emphasize a commitment to customer service and traditional European craftsmanship. Their reputation for excellence made them the premiere jewelry store in the Willamette Valley.
In the 60s, shopping malls were the newest and most fashionable places to shop. At that time, Eugene embraced shopping malls and developed plans for the Valley River Center. Skeie's Jewelers at Valley River Center quickly became the place to go for the fashionable must-have-styles of the times.
Years ago, everyone wanted to shop downtown. In the sixties, suburban shopping malls became the rage. Today the trend has moved toward small boutiques. Thirty-three percent of Eugene residents don't shop downtown anymore, and Valley River Center isn't quite the sparkling gem she once was. It was time to freshen our image!
Our focus is now on the new location at Oakway Center. Twenty out of twenty-three buildings at Oakway have been remodeled, and all the shops have been redesigned around the emerging popularity of boutiques. Oakway Center has the feel of a european village market with the convenience of an american infrastructure, including ample parking.
Our move is more than just a relocation, it's about getting back to our roots. Our evolution to single location allows us to tighten our focus again and emerge with a fresh face.
Skeie's Jewelers now features the largest and most comprehensive showroom yet with the widest selection of jewels and gifts. We carry designers we simply didn't have space for in the past, such as Hilary Druxman, Nominations and Xen. Our gift department has also matured into an incredible display of tantalizing treats, which now includes stationary.
We're confident our new Skeie's Jewelers at Oakway Center is the finest jewelry store in Eugene! We would be honored to have you visit us and take a look at the new facility for yourself.
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