A FAMILY jewellers which has been passed down through four generations will be permanently closing its doors in June.
Heasmans the Jewellers is currently run by David and Maureen Heasman in Angel Walk, but the couple have decided it is time to hang up their cotton gloves.
The first store was opened by David’s great-grandfather, Alfred Heasman, in Colchester in 1862.
Despite undergoing many changes over the years, the current owner, now 80, said he has strived to maintain the standards of quality and fair trading instilled in him by his grandfather and father.
On his decision to retire, Mr Heasman said: “This was not a decision I have taken lightly. It is a sad day to close down the business that my great-grandfather started 155 years ago. But I didn’t want to sell the business; it is and always has been part of our family, so the name has to go with me.
“I have enjoyed my life in the jewellery industry and we have made many friends in the trade and with our customers over so many years. But I am very much looking forward to spending the summer in the garden and taking a few holidays.”
However, before settling down into the quiet life the couple plan to ‘give something back to the people of Tonbridge’, by selling off all their remaining stock at half price.
“Everything has to go over the eight weeks of the closing-down sale,” said Mr Heasman. “We will then close the door for the last time and hand the keys back to the landlord.”
