The following is an article published by http://www.midamericajewelrynews.com/
Michigan Family Embraces Emery’s Example: Learn The Trade, Go With The Flow, Be Good To Others
Liz Pinson, Staff Writer
In 1947, Emery Weinberger arrived in the United States, a Holocaust survivor from Slovakia. After living in New York briefly, he moved to Michigan and began working for different businesses, dabbling in odds and ends. He was always good with his hands and particularly enjoyed working with antique jewelry.
Emery took English classes to learn the language and in 1965, he established his first antique and jewelry store, Sims Antiques in Highland Park. Wholesale repair dominated the business, and the door was always open. People felt welcomed, and they were, no matter how much money lined their pockets. The store offered something for everyone, and business grew.
After the infamous Detroit riots in 1967, Emery moved his business, opening Emery’s Manufacturing in the Metropolitan Building. Fine jewelry started populating his showcases. Around that time his son, Rob, entered the business. “I started when I was 9 years old; I went with him to work on Saturdays,” Rob says. “I learned how to break down jewelry, learned how jewelry was made. And we refinished furniture. It was beautiful – oak tables, etc. It was different. If I had time, I’d still do it.”
When Rob was 11, Emery moved his family to nearby Southfield and established a new store. Five years later, in 1974, he and his wife, Natalie, opened Emery’s Jewelers in a different location in Southfield, offering gifts along with custom jewelry. Relocating yet again, Emery’s Creative moved to its current location in Farmington Hills in 1984 and welcomed Rob’s sister Terri into the business. “We moved with the progression of the population,” Rob says.
“We saw a need to keep moving out this way,” he adds. “People were moving out to the suburbs, and that’s what we did. We’re in a high per-capita-income county. It’s a mix of nationalities and pocket sizes. Everyone is welcome; I don’t care if they have $5 or $50,000 – or a million! They’re all treated the same.”
The family business has remained in the same location for 32 years, about 25 miles from downtown Detroit. Emery passed away 23 years ago; Natalie retired in 2008 and passed away this past January.
Rob and Terri frequently promote the store with local television news appearances, offering gift ideas for special occasions.
