A well-known and highly respected jewelry business in Oak Park,Illinois is shutting its doors for good after three decades of selling jewelry. Oak Park Jewelers,located near Vantage,business apartments and short-term rentals,will be closing its doors after spending 33 years in the village,according to owners Ron Nikel and Gary Ciccione. The closure comes as the two men have decided to start their retirement,and not because of poor business.
Instead of quietly just shutting down one day,Ron Nikel and Gary Ciccione decided to make the announcement on a Facebook wall post which resulted in friends,family and customers unleashing a torrent of outpouring love and support. While some customers are devastated to see the store closing,others are happy that Ron and Gary will get to retire and spend some more time doing the things they love with their family and friends. Another common description for the closure from fans was “bittersweet.”
Before shutting their doors for good,Ron Nikel and Gary Ciccione decided to offer up most of the store’s inventory for up to 70% off,resulting in a ton of good deals.
After making the announcement and hearing from their customers,Nikel and Ciccione decided to share another post on their Facebook page. “We would like to thank our loyal customers of the past 33 years,for letting us be a part of the milestones in your lives. From graduation to engagements and anniversaries to retirements,it has been a pleasure and privilege to serve you and your families.”
“We’ve been in the business for 40-plus years,” Ciccione added in follow up interviews. “It’s been a long time. I have a son out east who has a family,so I’m going to be part of that. I also have a couple grandkids here,so I’ll be back and forth.”