Landmark Olympia jewelry store fades into the past
• An 18-karat, solid-gold pocket watch that belonged to Washington's first territorial governor, Isaac Stevens, who passed it on to his son Hazard Stevens on a Civil War battlefield.
• Tools used by George Noyes Talcott Sr. (Richard Jr.'s great-grandfather) to manufacture Washington's original state seal in 1889. (The seal was designed by George Noyes Sr.'s brother, Charles Talcott).
• Pistols that Charles Talcott and his father, Lucius Lord Talcott (Richard Jr.'s great-great-grandfather), used to guard their inventory when they founded the store in 1872.
On the walls next to the display, and everywhere around the store, are signs reading: "Every item on sale." "Our vaults must be emptied." "All diamonds on sale."
The store is scheduled to close permanently June 28, after 131 years and five generations of family ownership.
Talcott has yet to decide what he will do with the historical display after the closure. "I think I'll wait for a month or two," he says. "I want to wait until the emotion has worn off a little before I make any decision about it."
"It was a difficult decision to close a business that's been going for 131 years," Talcott says.
During the 1990s, when business was booming, he was able to spend more time away from the store. But for the past few years, with the recession and aftereffects of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, business hasn't been as good.
As Talcott he put in as many as 80 hours a week at the store and brought work home with him, he worried he wasn't spending enough time with his family.
Remodeling dilemma
Earlier this year, as he was looking at how to finance a major remodel (the store was last remodeled during the 1960s), it occurred to him it might be time to close.
"I thought, if I make this reinvestment, it's going to tie me to the business for at least another eight years to pay it off," he says. "I asked myself, 'What would a wise man do?' ... I chose to give my time to my family."
After his decision, he told his family and his employees, individually, before sending a personal letter to about 3,800 of his customers.
With the difficult decision behind him, he plans to resume one of his favorite pastimes, rock climbing. It's been several years since he's been to Yosemite National Park, where El Capitan and Half Dome are two of his favorite climbs.
Talcott's office has the smell of old books recently unpacked. "This place is kind of messy," he says, stepping over one of the cardboard boxes that cover half of the floor. "I've been finding all kinds of stuff."
As a boy, Talcott spent a lot of time in the store with his father, grandfather and other family members. He worked as the janitor, cleaning the toilets, mopping the floors, cleaning the glass.
He didn't decide to go into the family business until age 25. He had studied psychology and business at Central Washington University; the subjects seemed to fit well with the jewelry business, he says.
"To be my own boss, I think that attracted me more than anything," he says. "I always told my dad I probably wouldn't come into the business, but the more I thought of it, the more interested I got."
He returned to work at the store in 1970 and became manager in 1978. Over the years, he grew to love the business.
"I could get on the phone right now and get a hundred million dollars worth of goods, just on my word," he says. "That's really a unique thing about the jewelry industry."
Talcott also has cultivated an interest in history. He was the one who put together the historical display, to commemorate the 1989 state centennial.
"It's something that grew with time," he explains. "I was not that interested in it when I first joined the business, but as the older folks would come in and tell me stories of the past and tied our family with the history of Olympia, I got more and more interested."
He speaks with an almost boyish enthusiasm about events that occurred more than a century ago. He says he is constantly mindful of the history that surrounds him in the store. During the 1890s, Talcott notes, the chambers of the first state Supreme Court were housed in this room. He opens an antique, leather-bound book, pulls his glasses from his jacket pocket and, smiling, reads from a blue, lined page: "The District Court, Territory of Washington, 1854 to 1859."
Also important to Talcott are his employees. "They're the cream of the crop," he says. "That's the reason why this business has been so successful."
He doesn't expect any to have a hard time finding new jobs. Some of them might even open their own stores.
"When they bust out of here," he says, "watch out, Olympia."
Hallway of history
About 12:30, on a weekday afternoon, Talcott leaves his office and walks down the long hall toward the stairs. The hallway is lined with photographs. He pauses to look at one frame that holds several pictures of Talcott on the summit of Mount Washington in 1981 with a group that included current state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander.
Also in the hallway is a wooden rocking horse. Talcott guesses it must have been built during the 1880s. "I can remember riding on it as a kid."
Talcott walks down the stairs to the sales floor, past the history display, past a life-size, 24-karat gold-leaf "King Tut Mask" ($400).
The sales area is not large, but it's hard to keep up with him. He walks quickly without seeming to rush, moving from customer to customer with a handshake or a hug. One moment he's looking at a watch with one customer; the next he's across the room helping ring up a sale.
He speaks at length with an old friend, Gayle Phillips, who holds a brown and white Talcott's bag. "Congratulations!" she tells him. Jokingly, she says she's worried about whether the husbands of Olympia will be able to find good Christmas presents next year without Talcott's help.
Talcott smiles. "Did you like the bracelet?" he asks.
It's lunchtime, and the store is busy. Employees huddle with customers over the countertops, examining necklaces, rings, watches. As Talcott moves to the other side of the store, Phillips says, "It's so sad. He's just a landmark in Olympia."
One of the saddest things about closing the business, Talcott says, is he won't be able to maintain the relationships he has developed with many customers.
"We have wonderful customers," he says, his voice wavering slightly. "I will dearly miss them."
Jesse Tarbert: jtarbert@seattletimes.com