Elliott Jewelers

When you purchase a piece of fine jewelry from Elliott Jewelers, you get much more than just a beautiful jewelry item, you will receive top notch in-store service and repair, honest pricing, a huge selection to choose from and a knowledgeable sales staff to serve you.

Whether you’re considering diamond or gold jewelry, quality Seiko or Citizen watches, a beautifully crafted mantle clock or some fine crystal, Elliott Jewelers has it all! Stop in and see the huge selection of engagement rings, wedding rings, diamonds, gemstones in our Waukon, Iowa store.

In April 1961, Dick Elliott, with a used showcase from Ensler’s Luggage in Cedar Rapids, set up a watch repair shop in a single room above B & B Clothing he rented for $10 a month from Martin Hayes and Dutch Jacoby.  The tiny room had no heat and he had only one watch in stock, but Dick worked tirelessly building his burgeoning business.  During his off-hours, he would often hand-write postcards to send to customers, adding that personal touch to his business.

As his business began to outgrow that single room, Dick convinced the owners of Carter & Herman Drug to rent out their old soda fountain counter space and the window space next to it for $75 per month.  From this street level location, Dick’s business began to boom.  In several years’ time, he began to outgrow his location at the drugstore and began to look for a third, and final location for his shop.

In 1967, five years after moving into Carter & Herman, Dick moved out and into his own store, which he had purchased from Lud Larson, who had run a dry cleaning business in the building for many years.  The shop was sparsely furnished with nothing but two old radiators along the western wall.  He purchased handmade cases from Lawrence Ricker one at a time as he could afford them. The time that Dick spent at his shop was far from a regular eight-hour working day.  At times, he would be working diligently on jobs until one or two in the morning.  From this hard work and dedication, his business soon grew very rapidly.

When the need arose and when there was the money, Dick would purchase more wall and floor cases for his shop.  For many years, all of the money he made went right back into the jewelry store.  Dick and his family lived off of the money his wife made from a beauty shop she ran in the back room of the store.