SARASOTA, FL — After 47 years as a jewelry store owner, Mark Zemil is retiring and closing Zemil Jewelers at 1484 Main St., with a going-out-of-business sale now underway, according to a news release.
The sale, which began Tuesday and will continue until all inventory is sold, features jewelry ranging from $50 fine silver pieces to $50,000 diamond rings, the news release said.
The store is also discounting its estate jewelry collection and offering designer pieces from Denny Wong, Steven Douglas, Lika Behar and Felix Z.
Zemil's career in jewelry began when he was 19 and working as a lifeguard in the U.S. Virgin Islands. After earning a business management degree from the University of Maryland, he opened his first store in St. Augustine in 1979 before eventually settling in Sarasota in 1991 after watching a Siesta Key sunset with his girlfriend at the time.
"We turned to each other and said, 'Yep, this is the place,'" the 70-year-old jeweler said in a statement.
Over the decades, Zemil built a loyal customer base by emphasizing personal service and craftsmanship, serving generations of families celebrating weddings, anniversaries, graduations and other milestones, the news release said.
"It's been a privilege," he said. "We are grateful to have had the opportunity to share our customers' most joyous occasions with them."
Zemil has also supported local causes, including the Exchange, which funds the arts through its resale shop, and Pine View School, where his children attended.
Although he is stepping away from the jewelry business, Zemil plans to remain in Sarasota, where many of his longtime customers have become friends.
"I started when I was 19, and it's been a deeply rewarding career ever since," he said. "But the time is right for me to step away."
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