Hauser’s celebrates 120 years on Peninsula
Family business sells high-end, personalized jewlery in City Center
Hauser’s Jewelers turns 120 this year, and co-owner Amy Hart has a message for anyone who thinks online retailers have taken over: “Brick and mortar is still alive and well.”
Alfred Jacob Hauser Sr. started the business, now being run by a fifth generation of the family, in downtown Newport News in 1898. It was a watch- and clock-repair shop that served railroad clients by cleaning and inspecting pocket watches.
Each generation since has added its mark, helping transform the family business into the high-end and artisan-inspired jewelry, watch and accessories retailer it is today.
The founder’s greatgreat granddaughter, Amy Hart, and her husband, Brad, took the reins from Amy’s parents, Lee and Vicki Hauser, five years ago. Hauser’s Jewelers has been a part of Newport News City Center at Oyster Point since 2005.
Over the years, the Hauser family had operated a store in Hilton Village and later in Hidenwood Shopping Center called Hauser’s Fine Jewelry, which closed in 1986. The business had operated nearly 30 years in Hampton after purchasing Findley’s Jewelers in Langley Square Shopping Center in 1977, eventually moving the store to Coliseum Square and then Coliseum Crossing.
Amy Hart, 45, said her parents elevated the sophistication of the business to international fashion and finding pieces that customers wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere. They were superstars in creating a personal connection for customers, Brad Hart said.
Now, personalization is more in demand than ever as computer-aided design is enabling more jewelry customization, Brad Hart said. Hauser’s customers can design their wedding band using a tablet app then Hauser’s staff can help bring it to life and order it. Customers can even get a fingerprint engraved on the inside of the band, Amy Hart said.
Lee and Vicki Hauser said the Harts are taking the business to the next level with a fresh perspective.
“They take advantage of every opportunity to be the best they can be,” Vicki Hauser said. “She and Brad — they have such passion and vision.”
A self-proclaimed watch “nerd,” Brad Hart, 65, is a fanatical researcher who is selective about the products and brands Hauser’s sells. He is a registered jeweler with the American Gem Society.
The Harts said they travel to industry shows and vet vendors who not only showcase quality and authenticity, but who also operate their businesses with similar values. They make a point to discover new designers, he said.
Lee Hauser is a goldsmith who always encouraged his daughter Amy to design jewelry, particularly since she has a master’s degree in fine arts and has worked in the business since 1998. Lee Hauser would work with designers to supply the store and would make his own pieces every now and then, his daughter said.
Amy Hart designed the store’s first private-label collection, called Hauser’s Be Happy — an 18-karat gold-and-diamond line inspired by her daughter’s smiley-face paper necklace. The store is also selling a 1.2-carat diamond engagement ring called the Hauser’s 120 to commemorate its anniversary this year.
The Harts would like to bring even more innovation to the business, and even though they’re revamping the website to enhance online ordering, she said, it’s the staff, expertise and aesthetics that help the business compete against online competition. Plus, folks like the experience of trying on jewelry, she said.
“The one constant all along the line is trust,” Brad Hart said.
The Harts, who live in Williamsburg, said they would like to build on their family legacy and business history by contributing even more to Peninsula culture. That would include events like trunk shows or Brad Hart’s Dec. 8 watch talk that will include the history of Hauser’s watchmaking and railroad watches.
The Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News collaborated with Hauser’s to showcase fine jewelry as part of its “Adorn” fashion exhibit that opened Saturday and runs through Jan. 24, said Executive Director Courtney Gardner.
Hauser’s reached out to private collectors and provided its own pieces for the Roberto Coin exhibit, Gardner said. Visitors can also see Coin’s sketch designs on display.
“We’ve been working to really expand the boundaries to what people perceive as art,” Gardner said. “It takes a lot of creativity and a lot of thought goes into these designs.”
For more information, call the store at 757-5956006. Bozick can be reached by phone at 757-247-4741. Sign up for a free weekday business news email at TidewaterBiz.com or follow @TidewaterBiz.