For this week’s “Business Spotlight” we sat down with Lisa Kaplan who co-owns Kaplan’s Fine Jewelry located at 111 West Market Street.

Tell me about your store and any particular things you believe make it unique.

Kaplans Fine Jewelry is family owned and operated in downtown West Chester and has been for over 44 years. There are many things that make us unique, but that in itself is unique in these times! We also specialize in hand-crafted custom jewelry, designed and finished by master goldsmith Ivan Kaplan. He creates unique and exquisite quality jewelry in all metals, that takes jewelry to a new level of wearable art! We have the ability to redesign your existing jewelry into fresh new designs, or provide you with the gems and metal to do so.

What services or products do you offer?

We offer hand-selected, unique quality jewelry for purchase in a variety of styles and price ranges, including Diamond jewelry, Engagement rings, Wedding bands, Colored gemstone jewelry, Chains and Sterling Silver plus the ability to create one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces with our custom C.A.D. design services. We offer exceptional quality jewelry repairs, appraisals, restringing’s all done on our premises, so you’re able to speak to the person working on your personal pieces.

How long have you been in business?

Ethel Kaplan started our store on Gay Street, directly across from Woolworth’s Department store in 1977. My husband and I purchased it from her in 1984 and our son Evan has plans to continue Kaplans for the next few generations.

What do you love most about being located in West Chester?

Our community is unique! It has a strong sense of history along with a push toward growth for the future. Also, the sense of pride that folks take in being a part of something larger than themselves, makes us love living and working here. There is a noticeable effort made by the community to support our town through beautification projects, support of the arts, theatre, music and the many community gatherings that we all miss so much.

What can you tell me about the culture or atmosphere of your store?

I can tell you that you cannot find people who care more about their customers and clients than us here at Kaplans! Our staff is second to none! We all love working around jewelry, we love wearing it and we love helping our clients choose jewelry to celebrate their life’s most memorable moments. We’ve all been here working together for a long time, so coming into Kaplans, is like coming into a family home. It is a relaxed atmosphere to shop in, never pushy and we think of ourselves as being experts at solving your jewelry problems, large and small. We also feel very fortunate to be able to work in such a joyful environment along with our colleagues and especially our dog Lucky!

Is there anything else you would like to share about your store?

I would like to share our thanks and appreciation for the support we’ve had from the community to be able to spend our time here, doing what we love. The relationships we’ve developed have fulfilled our dreams and the success we’ve had over the years, has given us the opportunity to go out and help those in our community less fortunate than ourselves. I can’t think of a more fulfilling way to spend time on this earth