Over seven decades later, fewrealize how a twist of fate in 1928 led a man trying to make ends meet to build a business from the ground up into one of northern Minnesota’s finest jewelry stores.

In the years shortly following the Great Depression, Tuberculosis left Ken K. Thompson’slungs crippled and consequently forced him to pursue a profession that would not put stress on his damaged lungs. With the help of other watchmakers at the time, Ken K. Thompsonbecame likened to a very precision oriented profession as he taught himself the trade of watch making and clock repair. 1935 saw the start of Ken K. Thompson Jewelry with mostof its early emphasis on service, watch making and watch repair in an era when railroads dominated the region. The business grew quickly and in 1941, Ken and his wife Marthaopened their new store that was no larger than a child’s bedroom in Cass Lake, MN. At this point the business quickly expanded and became known for its full selection of jewelryand accessories.

Nine years later with the business thriving, at a time whenthe United States was struggling through World War II, Ken and Martha’s only child Dewain enlisted in the Navy where he served in the submarine service. In 1947, he returnedfrom the Navy and completed his training at the St. Paul Vocational School in Minnesota and eventually opened his own jewelry store in New York Mills, MN in 1952. The Bemidjichapter of Ken K. Thompson Jewelry began in 1955 when Dewain and his parents, Ken and Martha, decided to combine their expertise into one complete jewelry store located indowntown Bemidji.

Ken and Martha Thompson retired in 1967 with Dewain takingsole ownership and Ken K. Thompson Jewelry was on its way to being the primary jewelry store in the area. Dewain’s oldest son David returned from school in 1970 to work in thestore. He was followed by Dean in 1977 and Dale in 1979, both of whom attended the same school with Dennis returning in 1981 from the University of North Dakota. 1979 saw theexpansion of Ken K. Thompson to its second location in the Paul Bunyan Mall in Bemidji and the downtown location moved into its current location at 419 Beltrami Avenue in fallof 1981.

Leaving the store highly successful and mostly what it is today,Dewain retired in 1984. Likewise, David retired from the store in 1999 leaving the family owned business to Dean, Dennis, and Dale.Beginning in the 1930’s and carried through three generations of ownership, Ken K. Thompson Jewelry continues the idealsestablished over 79 years ago of excellent service, integrity and trust. These hallmarks will continue to be our cornerstone as we serve northern Minnesota in the comingyears.

At Ken K. Thompson Jewelry, You will feel extraordinarily special in a way that only a family owned and operated jewelry store can . Customer service is incredibly important to you and is even more important to us. Ken K. provides expert and professional jewelry & watch repair, custom design and awards & engraving services for all your needs. Whether you’re a repeat customer or it’s the first time visiting our store, we value the longevity of a personal relationship with you and realize the emotion behind jewelry in one’s life.