Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 22, 1916 ... Tiger trout to battle chubs in Diamond Lake ... Leader of armed group at wildlife refuge speaks to FBI ... Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 22, 1916 ... Tiger trout to battle chubs in Diamond Lake ... Leader of armed group at wildlife refuge speaks to FBI ... MEDFORD Four generations of gems After 108 years downtown, Lawrence's Jewelers has closed its doors Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 4:40 PM Updated Jan 21, 2016 at 7:16 AM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 4:40 PM Updated Jan 21, 2016 at 7:16 AM » Social News A longtime member of the downtown Medford community has passed. Through four generations, beginning in 1908, Lawrence's Jewelers was a stalwart, a community mainstay, where locals went for jewelry and watch repairs, bought Christmas gifts and their first fine china settings. Its doors are now closed, for good. Although Lawrence's moved a half-dozen times before becoming entrenched in its final destination at the Hoover-Cooper Building, 232 E. Main St., a little more than 50 years ago, the shop ultimately saw the retail world pass it by. To be sure, family members tried to keep pace, opening Lawrence's II when Rogue Valley Mall opened in 1986. But that effort fell by the wayside after two decades. Like family farms that went away in the 20th century when younger generations fled to the city, Lawrence's demise boiled down to the fifth-generation electing for different pursuits than retail and repair associated with a jewelry store. "I didn't want to push my kids into this," said Jerry Horton, whose great-grandfather John Lawrence founded the jewelry and watch repair business on North Central Avenue. One of Horton's children is a gemologist, another worked around the shop for a short while before heading another direction, a third showed no interest. "This used to be the place where people would go shopping," Horton said, as he peered down Main Street. "Now, there are a few people here and there. Some customers are sorry to see us go, but they are older. "Once those customers are deceased, there won't be much of a legacy." The town and times have changed. From the day that Sears bolted to the Medford Center on the other side of Bear Creek in the late 1950s and the coming of the Interstate freeway system, retail business was irrevocably on the move with shopping centers cropping up farther and farther from the downtown core. The Main Street corridor once featured the likes of Miller's Department Store, Robinson's Men's Store, Barker's Men's Apparel, Swem's Book and Gift Shop, and Hubbard's Hardware, which evolved into Hubbard's Home Center on Crater Lake Highway. Such retailers have, for the most part, been replaced by eateries and financial services, legal and other kinds of offices. By the time Jerry assumed day-to-day leadership from his uncle in 1999, downtown Medford was in the midst of urban renewal. "There have been a lot of newcomers," said Horton, who was 10 when his parents returned to town a half-century ago. When John Lawrence died in 1944, his wife, Thora, assumed control of the company. In 1951, the founder's daughter, Elsie Lawrence Butler, along with her children, Ann and Robert, purchased the enterprise. Ann Horton made her debut in the shop during World War II, long before she was old enough to drive. For much of its first 60 years, the shop shuffled through a series of downtown locations until 1964, when the family acquired the Hoover-Cooper Building, which houses a variety of tenants, including the Craterian Theatre box office. "Four generations is pretty good," said Chuck Horton, who left the jewelry business after closing Lawrence's II in 2007. "A lot of the generation after ours worked part-time, but they didn't want to stay." After shuttering the mall store and overcoming health issues, he is back in retail, this time operating an OLCC store on Stevens Street. "I think a lot of people see it as an easy job, but it really isn't," Chuck Horton said. "You put in lots and lots and lots of hours, but maybe not as many as a farmer. The kids see their parents struggling to do all the things they want to do, and they say, 'I don't want a life like that,' and choose other careers, which really isn't a bad decision." The trade-off of operating a respected business lessened as time went by. "The margins are thin and it doesn't take much of an economic turn to put you into the red," he said. "It's not a bad living, but you don't get to do a lot of things." Although he still detests inferior jewelry products marketed to the masses, and he laments the limited selection that goes with the big boxes, Chuck Horton said he understands changing times. "I'm not against progress and not going to shed too many tears when something is replaced by something better," he said. "There is an element of nostalgia though, when you look back at a time when neighbors knew each other and it was a closer-knit community." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 4:40 PM Updated Jan 21, 2016 at 7:16 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501