Opening new doors for jewelry repair, JJ Jewelry in downtown Santa Barbara is a fresh go-to spot for browsing beautiful things and bringing in personal items for repair. The store was opened on East Gutierrez Street by longtime repairman Juan Sanchez and his daughter Janeth in early May.
Both previously worked at now-closed jewelry store Patco, Juan as a watchmaker and Janeth as a sales associate. After Patco officially shut in April, the Sanchezes decided to open their own shop. “We hope to [make] a good reputation with good work,” Janeth said.
Juan and Janeth had worked with former Patco owner Pat Clemens for 25 years and decided to use this sudden change as a new opportunity for the two of them. Juan’s work as a watchmaker garnered him a loyal following, which he hopes will continue through JJ Jewelry.
Even so, starting a new business is a completely new journey for Juan and Janeth. “I do the same work as I did with Pat,” Juan explained, “but it feels good to work for myself.” Everything from watch repairs to ring sizing to fixing broken necklaces and bracelets are all under Juan’s expertise.
Janeth explained that opening JJ Jewelry was a big step and they initially felt unprepared. The hardest part has been working to regain the trust of customers with a completely new store. However, Janeth pointed out they’ve received community support and recognition across platforms such as Nextdoor that have helped bring in new and old friends.
“As soon as they know it’s Juan, they’re happy to see that someone [is continuing] to do repairs,” Janeth said. To them, customer service is of utmost importance, and they emphasized customer happiness as part of their work mission.
Starting JJ Jewelry is also of personal significance to the father-daughter duo. They both consider Clemens to be family, and starting their own business after Patco closed feels like honoring his legacy.
“We want to bring our best to the Santa Barbara community and the surrounding area,” Janeth emphasized. Although they’re just getting on their feet and starting outreach to new and familiar faces, they’re both excited to see what comes next.
“As long as customers are happy,” Juan said, “we’ll be happy.”
To learn more about their services, JJ Jewelry can be reached by phone at (805) 679-5208 or customers can drop by the store at 810 East Gutierrez Street.
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