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The demise of Windsor Jewelry in downtown Indianapolis was short-lived, thanks to two attorneys who purchased the 106-year-old business.
Fernanda Beraldi and Ed Broecker acquired Windsor Jewelry on Feb. 1—three weeks after previous owner Greg Bires wrapped up a going-out-of-business sale at 16 N. Meridian St.
Windsor will continue to serve customers in the 3,000-square-foot Meridian Street location just south of Monument Circle, Beraldi and Broecker said. The revived store is open for custom work and repairs Tuesdays through Saturdays, with a goal of being stocked with new inventory in time for Valentine’s Day shopping.
Beraldi, whose career has included stints at Cummins Inc. and Inotiv Inc., said she was intrigued when Bires announced in November his plans to retire and close the store. At the time, Bires told the IBJ that it was unlikely that someone would buy Windsor.
Beraldi and Broecker, partner at Frost Brown Todd, emerged to defy Bires’ expectations.
“When they announced the store was going to close, I talked to Ed and said, ‘Maybe we should think about buying it, especially because it has such a great name, great clientele and loyalty from customers,’” Beraldi said.
Windsor’s previous general manager and six employees will return to work at Windsor, Beraldi and Broecker said. The new owners will not exit their day jobs.
“This is a new gig,” Broecker said of owning a business. “I represent a lot of entrepreneurs in my day job and I like to live vicariously through their ownership. But I also like to go home and sleep at night. Living on the other side is daunting, but exciting. Having a great team made it a lot easier. Had the team not remained, we would kind of be lost.”
“We would not do it if the team was not here to manage the store,” Beraldi said.
Bires had owned Windsor since 1998. Sig Asher opened Windsor Jewelry in the bygone Lyric Theater building, 135 N. Illinois St., in 1919. Asher’s son-in-law, Herman Logan, owned the store from 1946 to 1998.
Windsor moved from Illinois Street to its present location in 1970. Bires, who grew up in Gary, was hired by Logan to work in jewelry repair in 1984.
Bires said he’s pleased to see the business continue.
“Fernanda and Ed bring a deep passion for the jewelry business,” Bires said in a written statement. “Along with retaining our trusted employees, I know they will ensure Windsor Jewelry continues to provide the high-quality products and excellent service that our customers have come to expect.”
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