Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jeweler brings Midwest to the Southwest
    Tara Fine Jewelry: Atlanta’s not-so-secret, best-kept secret
    Finding the Big Ones; Zambian Trophies for the Ages
    The Golden Girls of Gemstones
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Hard Rock Summit event info
    Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023
    ASJRA brooch
    Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference
    DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC
    diamonds on plant
    How to drive more sales and referrals through social media
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles
    Jewelry Marketing Survival Guide
    The Story Behind the Stone: Out of the Blue
    What’s Hot Now!: Latest Designer Trends 2023
    A Winning Strategy: How SEO and buying intent can skyrocket your sales
    business people shaking hands
    Networking for small business owners
    Is the customer always right?
    Successful Custom: A Clean Disaster
    Brad Huisken
    A quick note about technology
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jeweler brings Midwest to the Southwest
    Tara Fine Jewelry: Atlanta’s not-so-secret, best-kept secret
    Finding the Big Ones; Zambian Trophies for the Ages
    The Golden Girls of Gemstones
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Hard Rock Summit event info
    Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023
    ASJRA brooch
    Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference
    DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC
    diamonds on plant
    How to drive more sales and referrals through social media
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles
    Jewelry Marketing Survival Guide
    The Story Behind the Stone: Out of the Blue
    What’s Hot Now!: Latest Designer Trends 2023
    A Winning Strategy: How SEO and buying intent can skyrocket your sales
    business people shaking hands
    Networking for small business owners
    Is the customer always right?
    Successful Custom: A Clean Disaster
    Brad Huisken
    A quick note about technology
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured Articles

Foshee Jewelers celebrates 60 years in Lakeland, FL

Amy Minnick by Amy Minnick
November 30, 2013
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Reading Time: 7 minutes

It’s difficult to start a business, but even more difficult to make it past the small business mortality period of 5 years, during which more than 50% of them go out of business. Make it to 10 years and you’re in a survival group of 34% or less, according to the Small Business Council.

That makes Foshee Jewelers very special. The Lakeland, Florida retailer with 60 years of continuous service not only beat the odds, but blows the stats out of the water. Although he never dreamed he’d be operating his store this long, Clyde is quick to tell you that his kids keep him going.

Foshee-staff-Dec
Foshee Jewelers owner Clyde Foshee with some of his staff. (l-r) Harry Keshishian, Clyde’s daughter Pam Cothern, Clyde, sister Barbara Hunt, son Chris Foshee and daughter-in-law Duska Foshee. 14 family members work at the store.
Thinking back to his beginning in jewelry takes him to 10th grade in the late 1940s. He was, in his own words, a kid who “thought I knew everything.” It took the thoughtful suggestion of a teacher to get the young ‘know-it-all’ boy focused on a future in watchmaking by introducing him to a local watchmaker. Even then, Clyde wasn’t certain horology was for him, at least not until he spent a hot summer working in the orange groves of Lakeland.

“The summer I spent working in the groves left me telling the Lord I’d do anything else if he would just get me out of there.”

Heading to horology school in Jacksonville meant leaving Lakeland. The self-professed “mama’s boy” never fell in love with Jacksonville, even after he graduated and found a job there in 1952. With his mom’s help, Clyde moved back to Lakeland and set up a bench in a local grocery/drug store next to the hardware shop.

Working not only on his jewelry business, but also taking over the fishing and tackle side of the store, meant exposure to just about everyone in the small community, benefiting his new jewelry business tremendously.

“I’d sell everything from fine watches to wire and nails, paint, fish bait and tackle,” remembers Clyde. “No one else had a store like mine and I think that helped me build business.”

Foshee-old-shot-Dec
Clyde Foshee began his training as a watchmaker in the 1940s and has been in the jewelry industry ever since.
For 20+ years Clyde worked in that same store off Memorial Boulevard. He advanced in his responsibilities and even took over the restaurant part of the store for a few years. But he’s quick to say, “it was too much for me. It was a nightmare because the restaurant business isn’t like jewelry. The hours are long and staffing is difficult. If my family hadn’t helped me out I wouldn’t have gotten through it.”

It wasn’t until 1975 that he moved into his own place in Ingraham Plaza. By this time he had a loyal customer base who knew his character was as good as his bench skills. Bottom line – his customers trusted him.

Over the years his children and extended family joined the business. Clyde taught each child about watches, and today two of his three children work with him.

“If it weren’t for my kids I don’t know if I’d still be doing this. I taught them about watches, but I was never interested in clocks. So when my son became interested in clocks I asked a master clock maker to allow him to apprentice for a short while and, today, my son Chris is a master mechanic himself.”

Clyde’s daughter Pam is on staff handling repair and custom work alongside of daughter-in-law Duska, who is also part of the Foshee team.  Getting up every morning to go to work with his family is one of the best parts of his day. When he’s off a day or two he misses them.

Clyde has faced tough economic times during his 60 years in business. Surviving them required the willingness of people in the jewelry industry to help one another.

“Seven years ago, during the bad economy times, I had a jeweler friend who was also struggling. We started buying gold together. He and his family were from Armenia and they smelted gold. They barely spoke English and his two older boys did jewelry repair for me. I gave them trade work and helped them for a little while. They are so grateful now they won’t stop doing favors for me.”

Foshee-bench-Dec
Clyde Foshee at the bench.
Clyde has always helped others, but in a quiet way. Currently he’s allowing a struggling Hispanic family to set up a food wagon on his property and their success is enormous.

“It feels like the right thing to do,” says Clyde. “It’s just in my nature to help others and it generally comes back to me.”

When asked about his keys to success, the first thing Clyde points to is good, old fashioned hard work. Pointing to lots and lots of perseverance over his 60 years is what he says has kept him going.

“There’s been times when I thought, ‘ok, this is it!” recalls Clyde. “But my family has always supported me. You’ve got to get a great education and be flexible, because there’s no telling where this industry is going.”

Congratulations to Foshee Jewelers on 60 successful years.

Amy Minnick

Amy Minnick

Related Posts

Jeweler brings Midwest to the Southwest

March 1, 2023

Tara Fine Jewelry: Atlanta’s not-so-secret, best-kept secret

March 1, 2023

Finding the Big Ones; Zambian Trophies for the Ages

March 1, 2023

The Golden Girls of Gemstones

March 1, 2023

Latest News

Industry Events

Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023

March 22, 2023
Industry Events

Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference

March 22, 2023
Industry Events

DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC

March 22, 2023

Other News

How to drive more sales and referrals through social media

The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles

Mystery shopping results reveal opportunity for proactive consumer natural diamond education

Jewelers of America announces 2023 GEM Awards winners

ASA partners with BrankoGems Academy to offer testing loose and mounted diamonds and gems training

KIL N.Y.C. introduces the Cranium Ring

Southern Jewelry News

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2023 Jewelry Trade Shows & Events
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Newsletter Signup

Get Social with Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Sponsored Content
  • Latest News
    • What’s New
    • Industry Events
    • Tradeshow News
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Furry Friends
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.