Forsythe Jewelers History
 1927 - 1981
Forsythe Jewelers was founded in 1927 by Clifton S. Forsythe in Rochester, NY. Mr. Forsythe, a watchmaker, opened a small shop in the old Powers Building on Main Street and gradually augmented his watch repair business with one showcase of jewelry.
 His daughter Barbara kept his books and helped him expand his jewelry selections. Over the years, father and daughter changed the focus of the business to jewelry sales, while maintaining a reputation for excellent jewelry and watch repair services.
When Mr. Forsythe announced his retirement in 1972, he turned the business over to Barbara
and her husband Richard Rochow. The second
generation moved the store location from the
city of Rochester to the nearby suburb of Pittsford, NY and daughter Susan joined the Forsythe Team.
In 1981, while vacationing on Hilton Head Island, Barb and Dick
decided to open a second store, eventually hoping to retire on the island.
 1981 - Present
Forsythe Jewelers opened on Hilton Head Island in March 1981, managed by daughters Deborah and Susan.
By 1991, Susan had returned to Rochester to manage the Pittsford store, and Debbie had earned her Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America in New York City. That same year, Forsythe added the MacKenzie-Childs Collection to its line of fine giftware. The eclectic line of hand-painted ceramics, glassware and furniture proved so popular, it soon outgrew the space it was given in the jewelry showroom, and was given a"home" of its own as Forsythe annexed the empty storefront next door. The expanded gift department was christened "Favors at Forsythe."
Today Favors still offers the MacKenzie-Childs Collection, plus Vietri, Jay Strongwater, Annie Glass, jewelry boxes, a baby boutique, botanicals, fancy lighting, and fine gifts for gentlemen.
In 1998 Barb and Dick sold the store in Pittsford to daughter Susan and her husband Matthew Wahl. In 2000 they sold the Hilton Head store to daughter Debbie. They are happily retired on Hilton Head Island spending their leisure time riding bicycles, sunning on the beach, and visiting grandchildren in Pittsford, NY and Forest, VA.
Sisters Debbie and Susan are busy carrying out the three-generation tradition of quality, integrity and service begun by their grandfather in 1927. |
