Independents

This Houston Independent Will Close Just Before Christmas

IndependentsDec 11, 2023

This Houston Independent Will Close Just Before Christmas

Lesley Ann Jewels, owned and operated by Lesley Davis, opened in 2016.

Lesley Davis and Lesley Ann Jewels
Lesley Davis, right, opened Lesley Ann Jewels in Houston in 2016. She will close her store on Christmas Eve and is hosting a store closing sale until then.
Houston—After seven years in business, a woman-owned independent jewelry store in Houston is closing.

Lesley Ann Jewels, opened by Lesley Davis in 2016, announced it will close its doors for good on Christmas Eve.

The retailer is holding a going-out-of-business sale until then, with all the merchandise marked down significantly.

A trained bench jeweler technician, Davis completed the bench jeweler training program at the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology at Paris Junior College. She worked as a jeweler’s apprentice in New Jersey before opening her store.

As she explained during a recent interview on a local morning show, “I loved working at the bench, but I found that the knowledge and experience I had was a valuable tool in helping people. 

“That’s when my passion for jewelry turned into a passion for people because I was able to listen to listen to their dreams and listen to their ideas and be able to translate that.” 

Davis said while she has loved being part of customers’ lives—noting her clients have become more like friends and even family—she has chosen to close her store and retire to spend more time with her family. She is the mother of four boys. 

Lesley Ann Jewels is located on Westheimer Road near The Galleria, an upscale mall in Houston.  

 Related stories will be right here … 

Lesley Ann Jewels is one of several independent jewelers to announce plans to close recently as its owner, or owners, head into retirement.

David and Lori Ettinger will retire and shutter Bechdel Jewelers in Inwood, West Virginia, which has been open since 1975.

The store’s closing sale is slated to end on Christmas Eve.

In Indianapolis, the third-generation owners of J.C. Sipe Jewelers, Sam and Laura Sipe, also have made the decision to retire and close their store.

J.C. Sipe Jewelers has been in business since 1884. The store’s closing sale will run through Dec. 30.

Bowen Jewelry Company in Lynchburg, Virginia, which opened in 1933, is closing so third-generation owner Brian “Biff” Bowen Jr. can retire.

And in Pennsylvania, jeweler David Rotenberg announced early last month that he will retire and close David Craig Jewelers in Langhorne, which he opened in 1980. 

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