A father and son duo say their new jewellers will “bring something different” to Hadleigh when it opens this summer, hoping to beat the coronavirus curse which has caused many businesses to close for good.
Harrows Jewellers, run by Steve Harrow and son George, will be moving into the town’s Market Place, which for many years was home to Whatling Jewellers.
After more than a decade, the market town will once again be home to a jewellers thanks to the Harrow family – who hope their new venture will be a “perfect fit” for the market town.
The family-run business will offer its bespoke jewellery making and repair services, with a shop for people to browse in and a studio upstairs for their work to take place.
This is the first retail venture for the family, who have lived in Woodbridge for the last eight years and have been offering their services online.
After many years of looking at possible locations in Woodbridge and Ipswich, Steve says he “stumbled across the unit in Hadleigh”.
He said he was put off from opening a shop in Ipswich due to “ridiculous parking prices”, which he says have killed the town.
“I couldn’t believe it when we found the unit,” said Steve, who is originally from London but moved to Suffolk for his children’s love of gymnastics at Pipers Vale. “It used to be a jewellers around 20 years ago and it is just perfect for us.”
Steve, who currently does repair works for 11 companies in East Anglia, said he didn’t want to open “just another jewellery shop in the high street”.
He said: “Hadleigh has a really good vibe, it’s a bustling market town and is always buzzing with people.”
Steve trained in 1972 and has been in the industry more than 40 years, while his son George, aged 23, started off by learning basic hand making techniques from his father before completing a degree at the Birmingham School of Jewellery.
The pair had always wanted a studio to work in and now at the space in Hadleigh they will be able to do so – while also hopefully appealing to what Steve describes as the “crafty area” with the wine bar and cafe close by.
Previously the pair have worked on a lot of bespoke wedding fairs and Steve’s main passion is rebuilds and remodelling work.
Steve said: “Looking around I think we will fit in quite nicely and there is nothing like what we do in Hadleigh at the moment.
“We will do everything from a £7 silver chain upwards, from a broken chain to a cluster.”
The pair hope that they will “fill the gap in the market”, with a bridal lounge just up the road they believe they can make their business a success.
The shop will initially be open from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm and there will be one bench downstairs where customers can watch the pair at work.
The business will be run entirely by the Harrow family, with Steve’s wife and daughter both helping in the shop from time to time.
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