Murphy Jewelers, which is marking its 111th anniversary this year, will soon be expanding its footprint in Berks County. The company said it plans to open a new store in Wyomissing — its second location in the county.
The company has purchased the former home of another more than century-old company — the former Heck Bros. Florist building, 902 Penn Ave. County real estate records show Murphy Jewelers paid $875,000 for the property. The sale closed in mid-September.
Heck Bros. Florist closed on May 31 after 117 years in business. In addition to the Penn Avenue location, Heck Bros. also operated in Exeter Township.
Mallory Murphy is the fourth generation leader of Murphy Jewelers. She said the company is in the early stages of planning for the new store, and does not yet have an opening date.
“We hope to take our time and design a store that fits into community’s culture yet be mindful of the building’s historic significance, being a family business staple for many years,” she said in an emailed response to questions. “The building has great bones, but we’re looking forward to creating a modern, warm and inviting shopping experience inside — similar to the design aesthetic of our other stores.”
Murphy added that her family is honored to have the opportunity to purchase the Heck Bros. Florist building.
“We know it was a difficult and emotional decision for the family to close the doors after so many years, but we hope they (as well as the rest of the community) can find comfort in the fact that the building will live on with another 110+ year old family business now,” she said.
The decision to locate in Wyomissing was actually made about 12 years ago, according to Murphy, who said she and her husband Cody Frick, lived nearby when they first got engaged, and instantly fell in love with the area, the people, the other businesses and the atmosphere of the community.
She said they began searching for a retail space almost immediately.
“We have been actively but quietly looking for a store ever since, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to present itself,” she said.
Murphy Jewelers’ flagship store is at 115 W. Market St. in Pottsville. A second location is at the Lehigh Valley Mall, 948 Lehigh Valley Lifestyle Center, Whitehall.
The company’s other Berks store is in Tilden Township at 16 Jetson Drive. That store features two waterfalls, a fireplace and a 30-foot glass atrium.
“Our Hamburg store was voted ‘one of the top 10 coolest jewelry stores in the country’ by InStore Magazine, so we are very much invested in creating another beautiful yet unique location that isn’t your typical jewelry store,” Murphy said.
The Hamburg store is marking its 20th anniversary this year, according to Murphy.
“We’re proud to already have one store location in northern Berks County and now we look forward to serving the Reading-Wyomissing community in closer proximity soon,” she said.
Murphy Jewelers was founded in Pottsville in 1913 by Frank Murphy — Mallory Murphy’s great-grandfather — who started out traveling door to door repairing school house clocks, according to information on the Murphy Jewelers website.
