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Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers Closes After Nearly 80 Years
The Los Angeles-based, family-owned jeweler was founded by Lenny and Sunny Friedman in 1946.
Leonard and Sarah Friedman, pictured at center, founded Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers in 1946 and later passed the business along to members of their family. The jeweler closed its doors last month. (Image courtesy of Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers’ website)
Los Angeles—Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers has closed its doors after nearly 80 years in business.
The late Leonard and Sarah Friedman, better known as Lenny and Sunny, opened the business in 1946 in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village neighborhood.
It was known then as Crescent-Westwood Jewelers and was renamed in 1998.
Lenny was an active member of the jewelry industry for nearly 70 years, serving as president of the California Jewelers Association and the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California.
Lenny and Sunny, who both lived into their 90s and died in 2014, were inducted into the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame in 1994.
The business remained within the family until its closure, which was announced via social media in June. Its going-out-business sale wrapped up at the end of August.
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The late Leonard and Sarah Friedman, better known as Lenny and Sunny, opened the business in 1946 in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village neighborhood.
It was known then as Crescent-Westwood Jewelers and was renamed in 1998.
Lenny was an active member of the jewelry industry for nearly 70 years, serving as president of the California Jewelers Association and the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California.
Lenny and Sunny, who both lived into their 90s and died in 2014, were inducted into the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame in 1994.
The business remained within the family until its closure, which was announced via social media in June. Its going-out-business sale wrapped up at the end of August.
Earlier this month, Linda Abell, Lenny and Sunny’s daughter, told the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s news publication, that the business was doing well.
However, her brother David Friedman and his wife Gail, who had taken over, were ready to retire and spend more time with their nine grandchildren.
It’s a bittersweet moment for the family, she said, as the store has served generations of customers in the area.
Six members of the Friedman family attended UCLA, noted the Daily Bruin, with the Friedman and Abell families sponsoring many UCLA activities, including an "Athlete of the Month" award, its Homecoming week events, blood drives, and a watch giveaway.
The neighborhood’s official Instagram account also honored the longtime retailer, describing it as “a Westwood Village institution [that] has been part of generations of celebrations, milestones, and memories.”
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