Garwood

On August 18, 1944, Cloyd C. Garwood opened Garwood's Jewelers at 144 S. College Avenue, offering fine jewelery, watches, diamonds and gifts for all occasions. The fine quality jewelry and friendly, personalized service have endured over 70 years and continue to this day, under the ownership of the Reider family.Originally opening across the street from the current location in what is now White Balcony, Garwood set up shop near the end of World War II. In the late 1940s, he moved his store to Estes Park for a couple years, and then returned to Fort Collins and re-opened in the current location at 131 S. College Avenue, a space earlier occupied by a cafe and cigar shop called Mrs. Watson's Kitchen. During renovations in 2007, a hand-written candy recipe was found on the wall beneath layers of wallpaper.  Earl Reider, the current owner's father, began working for Garwood in 1954 as a watchmaker. He studied to be a jeweler and watchmaker at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. When Garwood retired in 1966, Earl and his wife, Mary, purchased the store.

In 1974,  Earl and Mary's son Randy began working at the store. He apprenticed under his father, learning the art of jewelry making and repair. He also attended courses in jewelry repair and stone setting through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). He is a Certified Gemologist and Registered Jeweler (American Gem Society). In 1993, Randy and his wife, Debra, purchased the store from his parents and continue to run it to this day, joined by their youngest son, Bradley, a jeweler who has trained at the New Approach School for Jewelers and apprenticed under his father since his teenage years.  The store has been a fixture in Fort Collins and the surrounding areas for generations. Many current customers have turned to Garwood's for all of their jewelry needs since Cloyd Garwood first set up shop, and in turn, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue the tradition of visiting Garwood's for life's milestones: engagements, anniversaries, graduations and birthdays. We look forward to another seventy years and beyond!