The last day is nearing for San Diego’s legendary jewelry store.
Jessop’s is closing Saturday, but not after a final clearance sale at the 401 W. C St. store where prices have been cut up to 80 percent.
Jim Jessop, the fifth generation member of the family business, said about 75 percent of the inventory has been sold since the closing was announced in November.
“It’s been amazing — our sales exceeded our goals,” he said. “The other thing that’s been amazing is the number of comments from people who are sorry we are leaving, sorry Jessop’s is closing. They talk about the value Jessop’s has been to them. It’s like losing an old friend.”
He said faithful customers have returned to show off their grandmothers’ wedding rings and one returned a set of glassware the store produced for San Diego’s 200th birthday in 1969. He planned to give them away in sets of four.
Besides jewelry pieces, Jessop said he’s sold many precious stones, including three 1-karat diamonds to a father of three young sons.
“He’s really buying ahead for his youngest son” — aged 3 months, Jessop said.
Jessop declined to share the running total of sales so far, but said he still has some big-ticket items available. They include a strand of pearls and 21 karats of diamonds. It’s been marked down more than half from its original $81,000 price — but he might take even less.
The items that are not sold will be marketed through consignment stores and wholesale jewelry marts, he said.
Still unsettled is where the family-owned Jessop street clock, now at Westfield Horton Plaza, will end up. Jessop wants to relocate the 1907 timepiece to a downtown location where the public will still be able to see it. But as Historic Site No. 372, its disposition has to be reviewed by the city’s Historic Resources Board and Jessop hopes to expedite the process.
“The clock really remains the Jessop family’s gift to the city of San Diego,” he said. “We insist it stay in San Diego and will keep working.”
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