Twenty-seven years ago, Sharon and Jerry Kroese bought Weigels Jewelry in Beatrice, Neb., because of a mutual love of jewelry and as an insurance policy for their future.
Later this month, the retiring couple will sell the store to two loyal, longtime customers, Todd and Dawn Nickel.
“We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, and are very excited we’re selling to Todd and Dawn,” says Sharon. “The store has been a mainstay in the community since 1938, and we wanted it to stay here.”
The Kroeses are working hard to ensure a smooth transition for the store’s customers. Todd Nickel was the one who piqued his wife’s interest in buying the jewelry store. He was a longtime customer who would come in and create wish lists of all the jewels he wanted to purchase for his wife.
“The Nickels have made a real commitment,” says Sharon. “Dawn had been studying up on the industry on her own before this process started, and has been working in the field for the last year and a half.”
Sharon and Jerry Kroese
The Kroeses fell in love with jewelry during Jerry’s service as a pilot in the Vietnam War. He sent Sharon a piece of jewelry every month for the year he was overseas. “We had a love of jewelry and bought the store when it was going out of business just in case Jerry’s health faltered,” says Sharon. “We’ve never had a negative experience here.”
Interior of Weigels Jewelry
The Kroeses are holding an open house on April 11 to introduce the new owners, and, more importantly, to say thank you to the customers that have made the store’s last 27 years a success.
“Our goal has always been to please our customers by giving them a pleasant, easy-going experience,” says Sharon. “We’ve had a lot of fun.”
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