MARQUETTE – On the eve of Jandrons Fine Jewelry’s first day of business – which was the day after Thanksgiving in 1989 – the family was together … eating turkey from takeout containers as dad, mom and two teen daughters pitched in to have the space ready for its public debut.

“We got our Thanksgiving dinner to go from the Coachlight and ate as we set up the cases,” Kathie Jandron said, smiling at the memory. “It was pretty darn good.”

Daughters Tia and Tammy were 19 and 14 at the time, happily helped their parents who as Tammy now says, “were taking a huge leap of faith.”

As it was then, family remains the center stone of Jandrons Fine Jewelry in the Westwood Mall in Marquette. Now marking a quarter-century in business – its sister store, Jandrons II is nearing its two-decade anniversary – the family behind this successful enterprise has many happy memories of the first 25 years.

And many dreams for the future.

Founders Neil and Kathie Jandron were both already working hard when Jandrons Fine Jewelry went from a notion to a reality.

“Neil was on the road traveling,” Kathie Jandron said. “I was working full time at Pranges. I was waiting on people who came from one end of the Upper Peninsula to the other. Neil had always wanted to open a store and I said this mall is expanding, we should think about opening a store here.

“One year later – it took a year to get the store going – we were open in the Westwood Mall. … And it took off like gangbusters,” Kathie said.

Tammy said, “Literally, my dad was here before the store opened and after it closed, seven days a week.”

Daughters Tia and Tammy were involved from the beginning. While her parents were understandably nervous about starting their own enterprise, Tammy knows why Jandrons has done so well.

“With my dad’s incredible knowledge and his being a such a great salesman and my mom’s amazing ability to take care of everything else needed to run a business … they did great,” Tammy – now Tammy Jandron-Kulbieda – said.

In launching the family’s first store, Neil Jandron indeed already had two decades of experience in the jewelry business. In his days of selling wholesale jewelry on the road, he had met a jeweler named Charlie Gahn who worked in lower Michigan. The two often fished together.

“Neil asked if Charlie would consider working for him if he were to open a jewelry store,”?Kathie said.

“Charlie said he would in a minute. So Charlie moved his whole family up here and we’ve been lucky enough to have him ever since. He has been the backbone of this store. Charlie has over 40 years experience in watch and jewelry repair. He is irreplaceable, and we appreciate all he does to keep Jandrons reputation so high.”

When Tammy at 14 started at Jandrons, it was supposed to be cleaning the glass on the display cases. But from the start, because the store was always so busy, she learned about the business as she went along.

Tammy had a modeling career that took her to Japan, Italy, Greece and then New York City, but she missed her family and her hometown. She returned to the store, learning bench work, which includes settings, sizings, repair and retipping work.

“Tammy is incredibly good at what she does,” Kathie said of her daughter.

Tia Jandron had earned a degree in social work, but didn’t find that to be her calling.

So when the Jandron family opened Jandrons II in 1996, Tia, who had wed Jon Arntsen on Oct. 8, 1994, became its manager.

Before long, Neil talked his son-in-law into leaving the lumber business and learning the jewelry business.

“Jon was on the bench until Neil ‘retired’ and put Jon in charge as manager,” Kathie said.

The quotation marks around retired are because Neil comes into the store by appointment, does housecalls and spends a great deal of time in Jandrons Fine Jewelry when he’s in Marquette.

Jandrons Fine Jewelry moved from its original space in the mall nearly 10 years ago.

“We doubled our size,” Kathie said. “After 15 1/2 years in the other space, it was a change. But it’s like a house. You have to do it a couple of times before you get it right. We like this space we have now so much better.”

And when another jewelry store in the mall closed, Jandrons II moved as well in 2008, taking its line of sterling silver, engraveable items, watches and the like to a corner space closer to the front of the mall.

Jandrons Fine Jewelry has a tremendous selection of custom engagement sets – hundreds of them – as well as special items like U.P. pendants, and greenstone jewelry, featuring the state gem found in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Colored stone jewelry is another specialty you will find at Jandrons.

There are many factors that have helped Jandrons Fine Jewelry thrive.

“We have had many special employees over the last 25 years,” Tammy said.

The two Jandrons stores employ about 20 people some who have been with us over 15 – and some over 20 – years.

Kathie added, “They are wonderful people who we consider to be like family.”

And people have come to trust the Jandron name.

“We do things the old-fashioned way,” Kathie said. “When we first opened up, we knew we didn’t want to play the game. We remain competitive by offering good prices. And we specialize in service. Our customers come back to visit. They come in to get their jewelry cleaned. And when they want to buy something new, they come to see us.

“We make them our friends,” Kathie said. “We want them to be our customers for life. We specialize in service.”

Being able, for example, to size engagement rings right on site is something customers appreciate.

“We offer fair prices,” Tammy said. “People need to know what they’re buying and the best way to do that is to shop around, to check out prices. We educate our customers as much as we can so they know what they are buying.”

Kathie called special attention to her son-in-law Jon and his many talents.

“Jon has taken diamond courses. He’s an appraiser. He does buying,” she said. “He’s the go-to guy. He’s the problem solver. He’s got a brilliant mind … He’s invaluable.”

Jon himself was a bit reluctant to talk about himself, but was coaxed into explaining the appeal of his work.

“I like jewelry,” he said. “I like to see what’s new in colors and styles. There wasn’t this kind of imagination when you’re working in a lumber yard with 2 by 4s and shingles. I have grown to enjoy it.”

Jon graduated from Northern with a business management degree. He was a perfect fit for taking over Neil’s position within the store.

Jandrons Fine Jewelry has a number of promotions in honor of its first 25 years including weekly prize drawings, culminating in a Dec. 31 drawing for a $2,500 shopping spree in the store as the grand prize.

Select merchandise in the store will be 25 percent off – look for the red tags.

An open house Thanksgiving weekend will allow ladies to shop for ideas, which will then be mailed to their significant others during the holiday shopping season.

Jandrons Fine Jewelry is open seven days a week: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Extended hours for the Christmas season will begin Dec. 10.

Kathie and Neil are excited that Tia and Tammy’s daughters all come in to the stores to help out. Tia’s daughters are Mackenzie, 16; Olivia, 14; and Quinn, 9 1/2. Tammy’s girls are Arlie, 10 and Maris, 5 1/2.

With 25 years of success already achieved, the Jandron family is indeed looking to the future.

“We’re still growing,” Tammy said. “My sister, my brother-in-law and myself are the next generation.”