Denig Jewelers Has Been Serving Old Worthington for Nearly 80 Years
Denig Jewelers has been a fixture of Old Worthington since 1947. The family-run shop has served generations of customers, helping them find the perfect jewelry for every occasion, repairing valuable pieces, and preserving family heirlooms.
We chatted with Scott and Stephanie Denig, now the third generation to run the shop, to learn all about their journey!
Nick: Just about how long has Denig Jewelers been around?
Scott: My grandfather, Fred Denig, started the business and my dad, Jack Denig. Fred passed away in 1957. My dad was 21 years old at the time. My grandfather died early, in his 50s. At that point he and his mother, Gladys, took over the business with my great aunt, Dorothy Wagner. Dorothy did all the jewelry repair. Of course, my dad was a watchmaker; he went to school to be a watchmaker. That proceeded until another gentleman by the name of Melvin Votaw joined them – he was another watchmaker in the business. They were all down at the center section of the end building north of us, where Kittie’s coffee counter is now.
Kittie’s was actually Long’s Drugstore. Mr. Long, an older gentleman, ran that business by himself. And we were right next door in the little cubby in between. So that's how small our business started. The other side was Annie Laurie nickel and dime store, so where the ladies' clothes store is. And you can imagine there were two watch benches, my dad and Melvin Votaw and their watch benches. My aunt Dorothy had a little bench next door to that and then there was a safe in between. It was a tiny shop, so if you had one or two people in there you were packed. It was full.
Nick: So your dad was pretty young when his dad died?
Scott: He was early 20s when his father died. He sort of stepped into his business with his mother. We were probably there until the late 60s, early 70s, when we moved across the street. We were over there for probably,17 years or so, right where the bar is in the back of the Whitney House, that was actually our store. Then you had a little clothes store that was in between, and then, of course, back then it was Norma's.
So we were there and then of course our current space at the time was Birnie's Drug Store, and then you had Bob Adams and Adam’s Drug Store. Then it was Vrable’s drugstore, and when Vrable’s went out we moved to this location. We’ve been over here since the mid-80s, about 1986-1987.
Nick: Was it expected that you were going to step into the family business?
Scott: Yes, I've been at it for 50 years now. In the mid-80s I went to gemological school in California. So with that investment I knew I was going to be here. Since then I've gone to goldsmithing, silversmithing school.
Nick: And now you’re cultivating the next generation in the family business?
Scott: My son Clay has taken over a little bit of the gemology and goldsmithing. Then we have my daughter Raleigh working here part-time, and Mike has been with us for 22 years. We've had two young ladies who retired within the last four or five years; they were with us for 27 years.
Nick: Do you have any favorite memories of running the shop over the years?
Scott: As far as memories, just all the people over the years that have been our customers.
Stephanie: Folks always want to come in and visit.
Scott: And regrettably, a lot of old memories of people have passed. And we still remember those people. They are very fond memories. We’ve seen generations and their kids, then their kids growing up and becoming customers.
Stephanie: Consequently, we have customers all across the United States, from Texas to the east coast. People that have moved away and still contact us. We still do all the work for them.
Scott: The best memories are the Worthington locals. And Old Worthington hasn't really changed much as far as that charm, as far as the community. We still have that same draw, the hometown feeling.
Nick: There's something about jewelry in particular that signifies a lot of special moments.
Scott: It does, yes. Weddings, anniversaries, celebrations, kids growing up. People bring in family heirlooms. We get a lot of people saying, “Your dad designed this ring. We worked with him.” So they share in history of our store.
Nick: I can imagine it’s neat having someone bring back some of your dad’s or even your grandfather's craftsmanship.
Scott: And I recognize it, I recognize their work.
Nick: Is there anything you wish people would know about the shop?
Scott: We're just a mom and pop. We have a lot of those traditional mom and pop ways where we're very service oriented. We try to take care of our customers’ needs. There a lot of times I'll repair things that, like the Andy Griffith Show Fix-It Shop, that kind of fixes just everything. I’ve fixed a lot of unusual things, statues, animated statues, all kinds of things, which I find very fascinating. I like the challenge of getting old things working again.
Stephanie: We have a lot of long-time customers, and I think that’s a testament to our accountability and the quality, the craftsmanship that we offer.
Nick: So, Stephanie, what’s your role at Denig Jewelers and when did you enter the business?
Stephanie: I’ve been part of the business 14-15 years. It's a lot of fun. It's so different from my training – I'm a registered nurse, retired, working at the James. I do the ordering. And to see all the beautiful gems and stones and gold and silver and diamonds – to me it's just like, “Wow!” I wasn't born or raised in the business so it's all sparkly to me. And then I have a lot of business background, so I do our accounts payable and payroll and marketing.
Nick: You must see a lot of different work!
Stephanie: We have a wonderful line of jewelry. Simon G, Zeghani, Lika Behar. We do watch repair, and custom work! Every day we are doing custom work. A gentleman came in the other day with a stack of rings for his wife. His 30-year anniversary is coming up and he's working with Clay to see if he can use the center diamond on one and then add all kinds of details. But every day we probably process maybe five custom pieces.
Nick: Anything else you think people should know?
Scott: We’re very service oriented. What we do is listen to customers, try to satisfy their needs. We’re no pressure as far as sales. We're a member of the American Gem Society, and with that there's an ethics code, a standard.
Stephanie: We also use responsibly sourced materials.
Scott: Also we try to keep the our business as far as our vendors local. We buy as much as we can within Columbus and Ohio second.