Oakwood business with long Dayton and Kettering ties sold to local jewelers

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

“It’s a legacy store and story,” Grant, who lived in Dayton before graduating from Trotwood-Madison High School and later served in the U.S. Army.

The Grants and Miles constitute JST Customs & Estates, which registered in Ohio in August and lists Jim Grant as its agent, according to state records.

The purchase became final Sept. 10, said Jaffe, who said the sale price was “minimal, just to keep the legacy alive.”

Jaffe announced earlier he planned to close his store after 43 years, but hinted at the possibility of selling it to someone he could trust to carry on the store’s tradition and business practices.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

“They sell happiness first and jewelry second,” said Jaffe, now semi-retired in Florida. “And if they didn’t operate that way, I’d have just closed the doors.”

“They were the absolute perfect fit,” he said, adding that the three have more than 60 combined years in the industry. “I left my inventory because I trust them. And they do business the way I learned to do business — the old-fashioned way.”

Grant, 52, said he has more than 20 years in jewelry industry and is a gemologist, his wife has 10 years in the business and Miles has been an artisan master bench jeweler for 34 years.

They will “offer a client-first and foremost experience, as it’s always been,” he added.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

But Miles’ experience will bring a new element to the business, both Jaffe and Grant said. Added to the store has been a shop with “all the professional equipment to make and build jewelry in house,” as well as repair and repurpose pieces, he said.

“You can sit down at a desk with us and we can … design something out and we’ll make,” Grant added.

The new owners are also expanding Jaffe’s estate dealing, which involves jewelry passed down through inheritance, he said.

“We’re always looking to purchase estate jewelry. That’s a big part of what we do that Larry dabbled in a little bit,” Grant said. “We help people with repurposing estate pieces, they can trade them in here.”