Business of the Week: Grono & Christie Jewelers

All communities need a jewelry store. They are as much a part of the celebration of life as the florist, the place to go when you are looking to put a little extra sparkle in your life and there is never a bad time to buy a watch.

 has been a fixture on Milton’s hand since 1945 and this week Patch sat down with Meryl Manin to talk about why a diamond is everybody’s best friend.

Where are you from?

I’m from Mattapan and I’m married to Bruce Manin. We live in Newton.

Who were Grono and Christie?

Mr. Christie was a watchmaker who worked three days here and three at the shipyard. Mrs. Grono had a jewelry store with her husband in the next block. In 1945, Mr. Grono became ill and went into a home in Lexington. At that time, Mrs. Grono couldn’t get a bank loan or be allowed to run the store herself. She asked Mr. Christie if he wanted to combine the two stores to make one jewelry store. That is how Grono & Christie got started. She was from Quincy and he was from Weymouth.

During the 1940’s and 50’s, my father-in-law had an office in the building, which he used to fix the jewelry. When Mrs. Grono was going to leave, my father-in-law was asked to move the repair shop and office into the back here. The rest is history. He became Mr. Christie's partner and then Bruce took over. We still have a repair shop on the premises.

But you kept the name?

That’s why we did it. They were two great people. Mrs. Grono was ahead of her time, in 1945 when she was told she couldn’t run the store…she disagreed! It was a very difficult time for an independent businesswomen, she had been here for many years and they still wouldn’t help her. But with Mr. Christie’s help…I have a funny feeling that he fixed the watches and she ran the business. They were both married, just not to each other, which made them great partners.

What makes Milton special?

It’s close to Boston. It’s a suburb and a small town community but it touches Boston. We share everybody’s celebrations here from births and communions to weddings.

Do you find that you are now carrying more “bling”?

We carry diamonds and bridal. Young brides and young kids are not buying less, they are buying larger stones, bigger and more fancy mountings. Right off the bat.

Years ago when I got engaged, my husband (who was in the business) came home with a diamond and handed it to me. I was so happy and excited that I never questioned his choice. Today a girl will pick out a mounting first then tell him to come in and find a diamond to fit the mounting! It all comes down to branding…people want DeMarco, Bulgari and Mark Schneider. People come from New York to buy Mark Schneider diamonds.

So the days of getting down on one knee are over?

(Laughs). He may still do that. I do have guys who come in and the girl will pick out the mounting and the diamond…they don’t tell them when they will get it. Then they propose…later. So the surprise is when they get the proposal and not so much the ring. There is a lot of pre-shopping, it’s different. 

You also sell watches…

We are just about to start carrying Fossil and we sell used watches. Years ago we used to sell Seiko and Citizen but at the end of the season, the style would change and I had a case of watches that were worthless. Today, I carry the less expensive and the expensive…there is no in-between for us. We are also going to carry the Ice watches, they’re European and last year we sold out of every watch I had. 

My son and I go to conferences and while we were in Orlando we went to a store and couldn’t believe Fossil. We came home and we called them but it’s very difficult to carry them. You have to be approved, you have to send pictures of the store and you have to prove your worth. Fossil caters to the young; it goes hand in hand with the bridal and that age range…that’s one of the groups we’re catering for.

How important is the influence of “celebrity”?

Right now, I have Kate Middleton’s earrings that she was wearing at the wedding a year ago. Everybody has come in and noticed them. I ordered them in February and they had to be made. Everybody that has come in since I got them has remarked how beautiful they are.

When it comes to “bling”, it is all to do with movie stars. I buy it because young people want to wear it. People come in with pictures of rings that we have to copy, they see it online or on a movie star and we do that. 

It fits in with an aspirational lifestyle…

(Smiles) they want it now. When I got my diamond, I changed the mounting three times but I upgraded. Changing the mounting doesn’t happen so much anymore because they get what they want right off the bat.

Where are your customers from?

Milton, Quincy, Dorchester. People will also travel for a line. The last two Saturdays, I had one customer from Albany (NY) and another from Troy. Mark Schneider doesn’t allow too many stores to carry him so if you want his product you have to travel. People source things online first, Yelp has really helped us a lot…we have a lot of good Yelps! We had a lot of friends on Facebook but I don’t know how many of them have come to the store. We still get browsers; people still walk in Milton Square.

How has the business changed since you opened?

The number one difference is the brides and what the kids are buying. There are the brand names; there were fewer brands 32 years ago. We are also still the only Grono & Christie and we are still independent.

Is there a strong sense of the business community in Milton?

(Bruce Manin answers this question as he has just sat down beside his wife) The Mom and Pop aspect of this store has worked well in Milton, my parents were here before us and that sense of continuity helps. Milton is very pro-business; we have just elected a new Selectman (Denis Keohane) who is keen to continue that.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to start a business in Milton?

Be family minded. Milton is a family community. Get involved in every aspect you can, the charities etc. Some of our best business comes from being involved with the schools, hospitals and boys clubs.

There may be more brands now but what is the tagline for Grono & Christie?

(Smiles) Where Fairy Tales Begin For The Brilliance You Deserve.