Richard Felder, master goldsmith and gemologist, opened his Village Jeweler store in Sawgrass Village in 1987, only a few years after the shopping center opened.
Other than Publix, “there were other stores here when I came,” Felder said. “But all those stores are gone.”
Soon, Village Jeweler will also be gone.
After a total of 52 years in the jewelry business, Felder plans to retire and will close his store on April 10.
Felder grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and went into the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school. After he got out, he took a trip to New York City with a few buddies and discovered his love of the jewelry business there.
The mother of one of his friends had a small jewelry store and Felder found himself drawn to watch the jeweler, a goldsmith, as he crafted pieces of jewelry.
“I was very interested,” he said. He graduated from the New York School of Jewelry and attended the Gemological Institute of America.
After 33 years in Ponte Vedra Beach, Felder says a lot of his longtime repeat customers have also become friends.
“I am going to miss making people happy,” he said. “Because that is what it’s all about.”
