If you know Detroit at all, you probably know a few things: The city has its own pizza style and its own potato chip company; after a long period of upheaval, the downtown is thriving with stores such as Gucci, Alo, and Apple; and there is no more beautiful neon sign than that of Simmons & Clark at 1535 Broadway.

Its image shows up hundreds of times on social media sites and in photography catalogues, according to Michael Simmons, who says the centennial of his family’s jewelry business in downtown Detroit is a tribute to family-owned retail and how a store affects a community as tight as the Motor City.

“It’s likely the best-known sign in Detroit, and we’re willing to commit the time and the money to keeping it going,” he says.

For those who venture inside, Simmons & Clark is a blast from the past in the best possible way. It’s the oldest full-service fine jewelry store in the city, serving generations who came for class rings or engagement sets and now return for everything from custom pieces to jewelry repair to push presents to anniversary gifts.

Simmons’ grandfather, Fred Simmons, opened Simmons & Clark with partner Harry Clark in 1925. Both men, who were coworkers at another store, borrowed $5,000 to get the doors open.

Back then, Detroit had a theater scene rivaling New York City. It was on the verge of opening its largest skyscrapers as well as an international bridge to Canada. And there were more than 200 jewelry stores and related suppliers across the city, Simmons recalls.

Fred arrived in Detroit from Akron, Ohio, where he also worked at a jewelry store. Simmons says his grandfather came to the Motor City for the same reason thousands of others did: the promise of a better life and a piece of that $5-a-day pie offered by the famous automotive industrialist Henry Ford.

Over the decades, Simmons & Clark sold everything from traditional jewelry to radios, luggage, and sewing machines. The store was famous for its giveaways—including pot sets, coffee makers, and even turkeys at Thanksgiving. (Simmons says the family had an in!)

As for Simmons, he started in the business when he was only in elementary school. He’d come to work with his dad, and the staff would put him to work running errands and the like. He earned his law degree, but he ended up right back where he began.

The store’s in-house credit was a life-changer for some locals, making that watch or ring within reach. Even today, people of all walks of life visit the store to share what the option meant to them. Someone trusted and believed in them, they’ll say; Simmons replies that the family is grateful for their trust as well.

Detroit Police were among the store’s most valuable customers, Simmons says, because they had to buy a pen and a watch from Simmons as part of their job. They always came back to visit and buy again, often becoming long-term customers.

A young Simmons even landed an interview with then-Mayor Coleman Young for a school paper about the city’s People Mover because of the store’s relationship with the controversial leader. (Simmons says he got an “A” on the paper, by the way.)

The store has gone through multiple renovations over the years, with its most notable update in 2017. The crew hired to demolish the 1970s-era decor discovered the original 1930s showcases and woodwork. Even the original art deco mirrors were perfectly preserved. The interior decorator they were working with was so thrilled that he redesigned the whole store around this one-of-a-kind find.

“When they took the cladding down, all we had to do was wipe off the dust,” Simmons recalls. “It ended up being a restoration, not a renovation.”

Today, the store is decorated with its old Detroit Times ads. Its advertising firm kept copious records of their work, and Simmons has all of their scrapbooks to use for the store—as well as pictures of Detroit City Council accolades, famous visitors including Detroit Tigers MVP Hank Greenberg, and classic cartoons of the owners.

“Our personality has never been crystal chandeliers. It’s more relaxed,” Simmons observes. But Simmons & Clark has always been Detroit royalty, especially in a city where everyone pretty much knows everyone else.

Their original safes line the walls along with open desks for office staff. Benches at the store’s front are seemingly always occupied with people coming in for a repair, locals checking out new merchandise, or friends just stopping by for a chat.

Relationships with customers, as well as those within the jewelry industry, are among his most rewarding, Simmons says. He appreciates the support and advice he receives daily  through business groups like Leading Jewelers Guild, and he is thankful for the brands that sell through the store to keep clients returning time and again.

Simmons hopes to stay with the store as long as his father and grandfather did. Fred worked there until he was 94; he died in 2002. His son and Simmons’ dad, George, worked there until age 93. To honor their work, Simmons & Clark has held several anniversary parties and enjoyed many local stories in newspapers and on television stations.

Another generation is coming to work there soon, Simmons teases; details will be shared, he says, once the store wraps up its 100th anniversary events in the fall.

“It’s exciting,” he says. “We’re proud of the work we do.”

Nowadays, real estate is worth significantly more now that Detroit is experiencing another heyday thanks to billionaire investor Dan Gilbert and local business owners who stuck around even in Detroit’s down years. Simmons & Clark still sells engagement rings, fine jewelry, and watches. It still offers credit. And it still serves Detroiters for all their jewelry needs.

Top: Michael Simmons and his late father, George. The store, cofounded by Fred Simmons, is celebrating 100 years in business. (photo: Elayne Gross/courtesy of Simmons & Clark)

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