Max Bender, Latvian Immigrant, Launched A Seattle Jewelry Tradition

Seattle forever should be grateful that Max Bender decided against becoming a shoemaker in his native Latvia. Max Bender chose jewelry making, instead, and that eventually gave rise to a Bender jewelry tradition in Seattle.

Mr. Bender died Sunday at the age of 85, but his tradition lives on at Bender's Creative Jewelers in Ballard and University District.

Mr. Bender was born in 1905 In Riga, Latvia, where his father was a shoemaker and his mother stayed home to care for the couple's 12 children.

Education for the siblings came in the form of reading the Bible and studying Jewish literature and history.

At the age of 9, Mr. Bender began a jewelry apprenticeship, like some of his older brothers. The brothers who did not go into jewelry making, ventured into tailoring, which eventually led to such shops in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

About 1915, the Bender family decided to move to this country but it lacked the financial means. To realize the move, the older sons moved to the Seattle area, where one opened Bender's Fifth Avenue jewelry store.

The second wave of Benders - including Mr. Bender and his parents - moved to the Seattle area in 1920. Mr. Bender was 15 years old at the time and upon arriving here he went to work for an older brother at Bender's Fifth Avenue.

While Mr. Bender learned watchmaking, his father continued making shoes in Seattle. However, his father worked out of the family home because he did not know English.

By 1925 Mr. Bender went into the jewelry business for himself by opening a store at Third Avenue and Union Street. A year later, his business moved to Sixth Avenue and Pike Street under the name Burt's Credit Jewelers. And a year after that, Mr. Bender married.

In the early 1950's Mr. Bender took a six-month break from his Seattle business to travel to New York to learn how to cut diamonds. Upon his return, he was the only diamond cutter in the Northwest.

In 1957 Mr. Bender's son, Stanley, opened Bender's Creative Jewelers in the University District. A few years later the family opened a branch store in Ballard.

Although Mr. Bender became very successful, he always regretted not having a formal education. Off-and-on during his adult life, Mr. Bender attended local high schools and the University of Washington.

Mr. Bender finally retired from the jewelry business in 1988. He was buried Monday at Bikur Cholim Cemetery.

Mr. Bender is survived by his wife, Dorothy of Seattle; son, Stanley of Mercer Island; brother, Isadore of Seattle; sisters, Ada Schain, Anna Kosin and Jenny Behar, all of Seattle; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.