Today, almost one hundred years later in Murphy Jewelers’ third and fourth generations of family ownership, we've grown to become one of Pennsylvania’s foremost jewelry retailers with three award winning store locations and world renowned designer offerings.
Our Second and Third generations, Francis and Patrick
Our family's passion and commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of our operation, from the stunning decoration of store windows to the meticulous selection of designer lines we choose to offer and all the way to the extraordinary purchases we strive to create. Our entire talented and passionate team shares our family's vision of a personal and magical jewelry shopping experience.
Where We Came From
Frank, Patrick's grandfather, opened Murphy Jewelers as "Jewelry and Optometry," where he not only sold jewelry but also made and repaired eyeglasses. Frank was an optometrist, a graduate of the Philadelphia Optical College in 1913. It was actually commonplace back then for jewelers to also work as optometrists repairing frames for glasses.
Actual newspaper advertisement of
Murphy Jewelers' Grand Opening, in 1913.
Frank's son, Francis, was enlisted into the Air Force for World War II. Upon returning home he joined the family business to work alongside his father. With his vision, the business' sights were set solely and passionately on jewelry, thus steering away from optometry. He soon moved Murphy Jewelers to its current location on Market Street in Downtown Pottsville. Then, Francis' wife Winnie joined to assist her husband in the business since she loved selling jewelry to customers.
Murphy Jewelers storefront window in 1913
Our Third Generation
Francis' son, and our current president, Patrick, dreamed of becoming involved in the family business at an early age. After working at the store every chance he afforded during high school, he ventured out to attend jewelry training and was enrolled in Bowman’s Technical School (America’s Oldest Watch Making and Jewelry School).
A Jewelry School Story
When Patrick went to jewelry school, one of his first lessons was to repair a broken frame of glasses, his teacher came into the room, snipped the gold frame with a scissors, and told Patrick to solder it so that he could not see where it was cut.
Finding Our Mark
Upon graduation, he returned home and passionately began growing Murphy Jewelers, working alongside his high school sweetheart turned wife, Kim. Together, Patrick and Kim proudly grew the business into one of the most thriving jewelry organizations in the state of Pennsylvania.
Even in a small town of only 15,549, Murphy Jewelers flourished. World renowned designer lines began appearing in our cases, and we began our rise to proudly become one of Pennsylvania's foremost jewelry retailers.
Patrick's own unique creation, the "Ugly Tie Contest"
Jewelry In Pottsville, Circa 1970
At the time Patrick and Kim joined, there were 8 jewelry stores in downtown Pottsville. With a demographic of around 25,000 people in 1970, it was a highly-competitive environment.
Today, Murphy Jewelers is proudly the only jewelry store in the downtown.
Patrick, Kim, and Francis receiving an award for business excellence in Downtown Pottsville
Our Second Store
One of our proudest moments was the opening of our second store in Hamburg, PA. We broke ground in 2003 and opened for business in October 2004. Our Hamburg location showcases our dream of the perfect shopping experience, and has been the recipient of significant attention, awards, and notoriety in the national jewelry industry.
Patrick and Kim, in their dream store location in Hamburg, PA
An Award Winning Location
"...with two waterfalls, a fireplace, and a 30-foot glass atrium that runs along the entire inside of the structure, Murphy Jewelers’ Hamburg store is truly the treasure at the end of the rainbow."
The 6700 square foot free-standing location hosts over 200 linear feet of exquisite jewelry and watches on display. The in-store environment is enhanced by a 30 foot atrium skylight which runs the entire length of the store. The entire store was built around a 6,000 pound walk-in vault.
Our Third Store
In fall of September 2020, Murphy Jewelers opened a store location at the Lehigh Valley Mall (right next to Apple) in Whitehall, PA.
“We’ve really tried to take the best of our current stores and give it a fresh look at the Lehigh Valley Mall,” says Kim Murphy, Owner & President. “The outside design inspiration is that of an old factory, featuring stone, tumbled brick, grid windows, metal roof accents, reclaimed wood, and even gas lanterns."
New, fresh ideas that are unseen in the jewelry world were created to make the experience at Murphy Jewelers in the Lehigh Valley Mall the most unique & enjoyable yet. One of our favorites is the “bridal bar”, where you can shop for an engagement ring in a relaxed, hip environment as if you’re sitting down at a trendy big city bar — complete with bar stools and a stone countertop for refreshments.
Our Fourth Generation and the future
Murphy Jewelers is committed to the future and always being there for our customers. We're delighted to welcome a fourth generation of family involvement.
Mallory, Patrick and Kim's daughter, represents the future of our organization. A graduate of Elizabethtown College, she is already extremely active with marketing and design at Murphy Jewelers, and is setting industry standards for her excellence creating an online social presence for our company.
Last but not least, our Golden Retreiver and Director of Marketing, Casey!