FAST-FIX JEWELRY AND WATCH REPAIRS® "Leaving jewelry or a watch behind to be repaired, whether it’s in the store or mailing it in for service, is unnerving for most people. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sentimental piece of jewelry, of little value or expensive, a simple repair or an extensive service. It’s stressful for a customer to be separated from their jewelry." This was a statement Mark Goldstein, our founder, had heard his father repeat a thousand times. Mark didn’t set out to become a jeweler, like his father. “I may have grown up the son of a jeweler, but I had no patience or interest in becoming one. I went to college to study education and business administration. I wanted to make my mark in the business world.” And he did, becoming a successful businessman in New York early in life.

It wasn’t until a visit home for Thanksgiving in 1984, during a business brainstorming session with his brother, that the solution to his father’s dilemma finally hit him. “I was trying to imagine what a store would have to look like if customers were going to be able to meet the expert jeweler or watchmaker working on their item, and see with their own eyes, their watch or jewelry being repaired. The idea of a kiosk, something that is open on all sides, came to mind.

That was my break-through moment.” Mark understood that, in order for store to be successful, he was going to have to create a new model, one focused on service, convenience, transparency, and fast jewelry and watch repairs. Combining the money, from his bonus along with the small amount in his savings, Mark hired his father and the two opened the first store (kiosk) that December in Century III Mall, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. "We were set up across from Santa Claus. By the third day the line for our business was about as long as the line to see Santa. That’s when I truly understood how satisfying and important it was for customers to have their jewelry or watch repaired while they waited." Over the next two years Mark would open four more stores in the Pittsburgh area.

Mark identified the key to running a successful jewelry and watch repair store; secure locations in high traffic areas so it is easy and convenient for customers to have their jewelry repaired.After replicating his vision for himself, Mark considered the possibility that other people might share his same desire; be their own boss. He discussed his idea with a friend, and shortly thereafter began exploring franchising his jewelry and watch repair business.