Fletcher’s Jewelry serving customers for almost nine decades

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

October 13, 2025

WAUPACA –  For 87 years, Fletcher’s Jewelry at 118 N. Main St. has been a downtown Waupaca staple.

Co-owner Pat Fletcher – who, along with her husband, Jeff, represents the third generation to carry on the Fletcher’s Jewelry tradition – said customers appreciate the personalized service the store offers, from helping create wish lists to guiding loved ones on meaningful purchases. 

“My husband’s grandfather, Myron Sr., started the business in 1937,” she said. “His son, Mike, took over the business in 1968. Jeff got involved around 1978, working part-time after school. After he graduated, he did a jewelry apprenticeship.”

Pat said she became involved in the business in 1981, and she and Jeff became owners in 2012 and are both very active in the day-to-day business.

She said she attributes the store’s prolonged success to the attention they pay to serving the customer – Fletcher’s Jewelry’s most valuable resource. 

“The fact that we are family-owned is integral,” she said. “The personal and customized service we give our customers is a huge contributor. Customers really become part of our family, too. We try to accommodate everyone’s wishes to the greatest extent.”

An ever-changing industry

Pat said the profile and buying habits of customers have evolved over the years, largely due to the rise of online shopping.

“Customers are increasingly more educated because they shop online,” she said. “You have to really sell yourself and teach customers about the difference in quality by creating the customer experience and showing them the difference.”

The ability to physically inspect jewelry, Pat said, plays a key role in appreciating its true value. 

“For example, I can buy a ring that might cost $200 and an online version may be $50, but the quality of the silver, for example, is very different,” she said.

That’s why visits to the store, Pat said, remain so important.

“Buying local and from a place that is a service-oriented business is a very important thing, especially when it comes to jewelry,” she said. “If I can [physically] show the customer the difference and why it may cost more, you don’t have as many problems [with quality] after the purchase.”

With a wide variety of price ranges, Pat said their store’s offerings appeal to a broad base of customers.

“We are considered a full-service jewelry store – [meaning we offer] estimates, quotes, appraisals, restoration, cleaning, jewelry checks and repair,” she said. “We do all repairs and services and communicate with the customer throughout the process, so you’re never surprised by what you need or what it costs.”

According to fletchersjewelrywaupaca.com, Fletcher’s Jewelry provides custom designs that let customers personalize everything from stones to materials, creating truly unique and memorable pieces.

The store, per the website, also offers corporate awards and recognition items – including rings, wristbands, watches and necklaces – as well as licensed Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers merchandise.

It also offers a wide range of name brands from Aspire, Carla, Citizens and Finelli to Leslie, Seiko, Stuller and Timex.

Pat said many customers are surprised by both the store’s selection and its prices, with many traveling from Green Bay and surrounding cities to shop.

“Customers know they are working with a quality store with people who really care, are purchasing quality jewelry and know it is staying in good repair by us,” she said. “We provide free jewelry cleanings along with free jewelry checks [for jewelry purchased through us], which we recommend doing every six months. If customers take care of their jewelry, it will last a long time.”

Pat said she oversees all of the store’s buying – a role she takes seriously to ensure Fletcher’s Jewelry’s inventory stands out.

“Customers will tell us our store looks different from others, that we have so many interesting [pieces] and that everything does not look the same,” she said. “That’s because we carefully select everything that goes into our cases. We do our best to offer a variety of styles.”

Pat said one of the store’s most successful ideas has been its long-running wish list program. 

“Customers come in and will look at something they’d like, and we write it down,” she said. “It allows someone [else] to come in and surprise them [by purchasing] something they like.”

Pat said the wish list concept takes the guesswork out of gift-giving – making shopping easier for both the buyer and the recipient, who will love what they receive.

“I had one man who gave the same necklace to his wife three times in like 10 years because he liked it,” she said. “She started making a wish list of things she wanted.”

The wish list program, Pat said, is especially helpful when time is short or a holiday is just around the corner.

Memorable moments

The holiday season, Pat said, is often one of the most memorable times of the year.  

“We are really good at building relationships – and it begins with families,” she said. “[We hear things like], ‘Oh, my dad always came here on Christmas Eve.’ That tradition was huge in the ’70s and ’80s. Dads waited until the very last minute and then came in on Christmas Eve, which was the busiest day of the year.”

Though holiday traditions have evolved, Pat said the season remains a busy and important time for the store.

A sparkling future

Pat said the outlook is strong – not just for Fletcher’s Jewelry, but for the fine jewelry industry as a whole.

“I see a great future in the industry, and [I plan on] being here to help serve customers as long as I can,” she said. “What makes Fletcher’s Jewelry so special is that it is my true passion.”

Over the years, Pat said Fletcher’s has played a quiet but important role in customers’ personal stories, offering jewelry to mark everything from major celebrations to meaningful farewells.

Though there have been countless memorable experiences, Pat said one, in particular, will always stay with her. 

“One of my favorite and memorable moments took place the first year I worked here,” she said. “My high school tennis coach [came in the store] wanting to buy a gift for his wife [and asked for me]… He purchased a very beautiful sapphire ring, and every time he saw me, he would mention to me how special I made it for him, and how special it was that we worked together [finding that special gift]. That was a neat little moment that would be my favorite little moment. There are many more like it.”

Teamwork

Nearly nine decades of success, Pat said, wouldn’t be possible without Fletcher’s Jewelry’s dedicated team behind the scenes.

“We have a great staff that is very dedicated,” she said. “We are also a very diverse, dedicated, unique and engaging group, including our most senior employee who is in her 80s. Our group prides itself on listening to the customer.”

Check out Fletcher’s Jewelry’s website for more.