As a child, Gary spent hours observing the watchmakers’ precision work in his father’s jewelry store, fascinated with the gears, the noise, and the activity. During his teen years, Gary developed an appreciation for the precious gemstones and metals that his father sold. Armed with years of art/design courses and a degree in communications from UNC-Chapel Hill, he went to work in the television industry. However, retail jewelry was “in his blood,” and Gary soon found his way back to his father’s store in the early 1980s, where he honed his skills.

During the mid-1980s, working with his brother Robert in the wholesale jewelry business, Gary traveled with teams of bench jewelers to hundreds of jewelry stores in 23 states conducting restyling/remounting events in jewelry stores. Gary wanted to cease traveling and to grow roots, so in 1988, he and his new bride moved to High Point, NC, where they opened Jewel Mart, a retail jewelry store which also included an on-site jeweler.

As the clientele grew, so did their tastes and expectations. Gary responded by creating a store where customer service is the focal point around which all else revolves – where merchandising is driven by quality and value– and where exquisite custom design work and outstanding repairs are available on-site. Therefore, in 1997, Jewel Mart became Simon Jewelers and found a new home in the beautifully renovated village of shops at Time Square, at the corner of Main and Lexington in High Point.

Now, more than a decade later, Gary has just completed expanding Simon Jewelers to enhance the customers’ shopping experience, to provide more room to showcase exquisite designer jewelry collections, and to provide a sophisticated custom design and repair area. Giving back to the community is how the Simon Jewelers' team stays fulfilled, so a percentage of all sales is reinvested in the community through charitable donations and/or in-kind service.

Gary and his staff members truly enjoy their work, as is evidenced by the Simon Jewelers’ philosophy:

"Every day should be an occasion. When a customer walks through our doors, we want that person to feel honored and comfortable. The jewelry is secondary to the emotional atmosphere. The customer is the reason we are here."