EP#274: Gems & Generations: The Story Behind Goodman Jewelers of Bristol

What makes Blake Collins with Goodman Jewelers a good neighbor?

Nestled in the heart of downtown Bristol sits a jewel of a different kind—a family business that sparkles with tradition, craftsmanship, and generational wisdom. Meet Blake Collins, the third-generation bench jeweler behind Goodman Jewelers, who carries forward a legacy that began in 1971 at the same State Street location where it stands today.

Blake's journey into the world of fine jewelry wasn't just a career choice—it was his birthright. From childhood days spent cleaning display cases with Windex to learning the intricate art of watch repair, his progression from "the jeweler's kid" to master craftsman unfolded naturally. Today, he specializes in creating, repairing, and customizing fine jewelry with a level of personal attention that chain stores simply cannot match.

During our conversation, Blake dispels common misconceptions about independent jewelry stores, particularly the assumption that they're always more expensive than big-box retailers. The truth, he reveals, is quite the opposite—local jewelers often forge deeper relationships with suppliers and customers alike, resulting in higher quality pieces at competitive prices. When you purchase from Goodman Jewelers, you're not just buying an accessory; you're investing in a relationship built on trust and expertise honed across generations.

Beyond the showcases filled with precious metals and gemstones, Blake's life resonates with rich Appalachian traditions. A musician at heart, he grew up picking bluegrass and attending fiddlers' conventions with his family band—a passion now being passed to his 10-year-old daughter. When faced with the sudden loss of his father in 2015, Blake found that stepping up to preserve the family business became an unexpected anchor during his grief, demonstrating the profound connection between personal resilience and professional purpose.

What truly distinguishes Goodman Jewelers is summed up in Blake's own words: "We value and honor your trust." Each piece that passes through his hands represents not just material worth, but the milestones, memories, and emotions of his customers' lives. Visit Blake at 532 State Street in Bristol, call 423-764-1332, or email [e-mail] to experience the difference that five decades of dedication to craft and community can make.

To learn more about Goodman Jewelers go to:

https://www.facebook.com/BristolGoodmanJewelers/

Goodman Jewelers

[phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri-Cities.
So we're really excited to havea very special guest with us
here in the studio and we'reexcited to learn all about him
and his business.
So I'm sure you will be as well, because today I have the
pleasure of introducing yourgood neighbor, Mr Blake Collins,
who is the owner-operator ofGoodman Jewelers.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Blake, welcome to the show.
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Glad to have you and, like I said, excited to learn
all about you and Goodman.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
what you do?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yes, sir.
Well, I'm a third generationbench jeweler.
We have a got a family ownedand operated jewelry store in
downtown Bristol on State Street532 State Street, Just a couple
of doors down from theParamount.
Everybody knows where theParamount's at, oh yeah, and I

(01:11):
specialize in fine jewelry sales, repairs and customization.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Sales, repairs and customization.
Awesome Third generation manthat's nothing to sneeze at.
Yeah it's pretty, pretty coolhow many, how many years have
you been a vendor?

Speaker 3 (01:32):
um the store opened there at 532 in 1971 wow yeah,
yep, so, uh, you know 50, 54years or so, and it was actually
.
There was another jeweler inthat same location prior to that
.
So it's, it's been a jewelrystore for golly probably 75

(01:53):
years.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Wow, well, dumb question your third generation.
I was going to ask, how did youget into this business?
But it sounds like you kind ofwere born into it.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Yeah, yeah, pretty pretty much.
My dad took over ownership ofthe store, I think around 95.
So I would have been eight ornine years old and so yeah, I
spent a lot of time just justgrowing up being a kid down
there walking across the streetto the comic book store, and

(02:25):
then that turned into cleaningthe counters with with Windex,
being a kid down there walkingacross the street to the comic
book store, and then that turnedinto cleaning the counters with
Windex, which turned into doinga watch battery here and there,
and you know just the naturalprogression of being the
jeweler's kid.
Absolutely, you grew up in it,yep Well, what are some myths or
misconceptions in the jewelrybusiness?

(02:45):
That's a good question.
I would say probably the mostcommon misconception would be
that independent jewelry storesversus big box stores.
You know that the price of theindependent stores is always
higher.
I feel like people probablyassume that the large chain

(03:07):
stores, due to their size andbuying power, they can offer
better deals or discounts, butactually, in reality, the
independent stores often providea more personalized experience,
higher quality custom designsthat bigger stores can't match

(03:34):
and definitely a closerrelationship with with the
suppliers and the customers.
So if you're if you're lookingfor a more personal experience,
I would say definitely go visityour local jeweler.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Absolutely.
I'm a big fan of my local, nota big fan of Chang's myself.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yes, sir, we're all in this together, you know.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's right.
That's exactly right.
Well, outside of work, Blake,what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Well, I'd say my main hobby would probably be music.
I love to play music.
I grew up in a musicalhousehold.
My dad was a great musician.
So you know grew up pickingbluegrass and going to fiddlers'
conventions and all that sortof thing.
We had a family band and alwayshad a lot of fun doing that.

(04:26):
So I still try to keep thatfire burning.
And aside from the music, youknow, I've got a lovely wife and
two kids and we like to gocamping.
And my daughter Laurel she justturned 10.

(04:47):
And she's playing the fiddle.
She's showing promise in themusical area.
My son Roan, who's about toturn six.
He's decided he's a fisherman.
Now he and I we're getting backinto fishing, which is pretty

(05:08):
awesome.
What kind of fishing.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Any kind.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Well, right now I think we've caught a couple
bluegills so far, so we're stilla little wet behind the ears,
but we're getting there, we'reworking our way up.
How old is your son?
He'll be six next month.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh wow, oh yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, you're in blue girlcountry, so let's switch gears
for a second.
Blake, can you describe ahardship or a life challenge
that you've overcome and howit's made you stronger in the
end when you came out the otherside?

Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, definitely, I mean for sure that there's, you
know there's.
We've all had many, but, uh, Ithink the biggest one for me was
definitely the sudden passingof my, my father, uh, which
happened back in 2015.
Um, and it was just, you know,the our family, we were just

(06:09):
completely blindsided by it and,you know, I feel like it.
That situation definitely hadthe potential to to put us all
into a pretty serious tailspin,um, but I knew that, um, I

(06:30):
needed to step up and, and, youknow, handle, at least, you know
, help steer the ship in termsof the business, and that kept
me.
You know, in hindsight, havingthat response and feeling that
responsibility and sort ofstepping into that in that

(06:51):
moment kept me.
So I was so preoccupied withthat that, you know, it kind of
saved me.
I feel like, from falling into,you know, it kind of saved me.
I feel like from falling into,you know, a deeper despair.
I mean, we certainly Idefinitely grieved and but I was

(07:14):
, I was so focused on whatneeded to happen with the
business to keep it afloat andjust keep things, you know, sort
things out, that I didn't havea whole lot of time to think
about myself, you know.
So that was sort of a savinggrace during that time, and I'm

(07:36):
sure your dad's looking downvery proud about what you've
done too, I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
Thank you Absolutely, Absolutely Well, if, Blake, if
you could think of one thingthat you would like our
listeners to remember aboutGoodman Jewelers, what would
that be?

Speaker 3 (07:51):
I would say, probably you know just how much we value
.
I would say probably you knowjust how much we value and honor
your trust, because it's verymuch.
You know, it's of times havesentimental value that far

(08:12):
exceed the monetary value, andwe don't we don't take that

(08:33):
lightly whatsoever.
We, you know it's an honor tobe able to do that.
So that's probably, that'dprobably be the one thing.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
The one thing to it.
Good thing to remember, trustis very important and you know
it makes a big.
It makes a big difference whenyou know you.
I'm sure you have customersthat come in, that your dad
helped, probably, and that havebeen coming to do business with
you for years and that providesword of mouth advertising, which

(08:58):
is probably the bestadvertising you get is
absolutely from good experience,and and you don't get that.
You don't get that at a chainstore where the employees have
been there three months and inhigh school.
You know this is true, yep, yep.
Well, for those of us who areinterested, have a need, you
know, have something that needsto be repaired or cleaned, or

(09:20):
they're thinking about gettinghitched and need something
serious going on.
How can we learn more aboutwhat you do?

Speaker 3 (09:28):
Well, just come by and see us.
We're at 532 State Street.
Give us a call 423-764-1332.
And email is goodmanjewelers532at gmailcom 764-1332.
And emails GoodmanJewelers532at gmailcom.
We're still pretty old school.

(09:49):
We don't have a website, don'tdo any business online, so we
like to do it face-to-face andwe'd be happy to help you.
We've got jewelry for any andall occasions.
We do custom in-house, in-houserepairs, so we're happy to help
any way we can.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Absolutely Well old-fashioned is good in my book
and there's a lot of peoplethat appreciate that and the
service of face-to-face soawesome yes sir.
Blake, I really appreciate youtaking time out of your busy
schedule to be with us today andfor sharing with our listeners
all about Goodman Jewelry andmoving forward.

(10:32):
We wish you and your family,and your jewelry store and your
clients all the best.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
Thank you so much, skip.
It's an honor to be here and,uh, really appreciate you having
me thanks so much.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Well, like I said, it was an honor for us and maybe
we can have you back sometime.
You can bring, bring your axewith you and play some bluegrass
for us.
Hey, I'd love that.
Let's do it all right, man?
All right, sounds great.
You have a great rest of theday you too.

Speaker 1 (10:59):
Thanks, man thank you for listening to the Good
Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-7197-3.