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Mosher’s Jewelers is known around Port Huron as “the store with the street clock.” The story behind the street clock is really the story of the Mosher family, which has operated a jewelry and watch business in Port Huron for five generations.
 Timepieces first enter the story by way of the railroad industry, when the first international railroad tunnel brought train traffic to Port Huron from Ontario in 1891. Grand Trunk Western Railway, in need of a watch inspector in Port Huron, contracted that task to Clarence Mosher, master watchmaker and owner of a small watch shop in Holly.
“Without radios or any way to communicate, trains had to be on time to avoid deadly collisions with other trains,” explained Bill Mosher, Clarence’s great grandson, who owns Mosher’s Jewelers with his sister, Emily Wallace.
The new assignment led Mosher to move his young watch business to a rented space in Port Huron in 1906. As times improved and the city grew, Mosher’s business grew, so he added jewelry, despite strong competition from seven other small jewelers in the city at the time.
Some time in the 1910s, Clarence decided to advertise his business with a street clock in front of the shop. A family photo shows this clock with advertising around its face (see photo).
The successful store passed down through four generations: from Clarence to Seeley, then George, then Bill. Although he retired in 1988, George Mosher is still active in the community.
Current co-owner Bill Mosher started at the store in 1972, and sister Emily Wallace joined him in the 1980s. Now Emily’s children, Luke and Elizabeth Wallace, are the fifth generation to work in the store.
What about the clock? When Bill and Emily’s father moved the store from its first Port Huron location to a new building in the early 1960s, the street clock moved too. Then, in the course of a major construction project along Huron Avenue in 1964, the clock had to be taken down.
As the construction project neared completion, the Moshers planned to reinstall the clock. But they were informed that it was considered advertising and therefore violated a state ordinance against advertising on state roads—Huron Avenue is also Michigan Route 25. So, after 50 years, the Mosher’s street clock disappeared.
 Fast forward to 1993, when Port Huron’s downtown underwent a historic restoration and streetscaping project. The Moshers were surprised when the city contacted them about reinstalling the street clock as a way of restoring some of the charm of yesteryear’s downtown.
So the family reinstalled the street clock. It still says Mosher’s on the face but without the outside decorations.
“One era’s unsightly advertising is the next era’s charm and heritage, apparently,” said Mosher.
The store still features quality watches and jewelry, along with a variety of clocks, china, crystal, porcelain figurines and other giftware.
Mosher’s Jewelers has all the hallmarks of a classic family-owned business: a dedication to quality merchandise and “treating the customer as king,” a staff of loyal and highly trained employees—including four certified gemologists—and a long history of loyal customers. They return to the store for gifts and jewelry to mark all of life’s special occasions, from weddings and births to anniversaries.
Wallace has fond memories of growing up with the family-owned business. “Family life revolved around the store and what we did here,” she recalled.
From all appearances, little has changed in the shop over the years. The business has a feeling of tradition and solidity. However, Mosher’s is not stuck in the last century.
The store’s website, which Wallace oversees, has been in operation for more than five years. While many jewelry stores have information-only websites, customers at Mosher’s website can purchase jewelry, watches and giftware online.
“It helps us remain in contact with—and do business with—customers who leave town, either permanently or as ‘snowbirds’ who fly south for the winter,” said Mosher.
“For what we put into it, the website is absolutely worthwhile,” added Wallace.
The website has several nice touches, such as a “Romantic Story of the Week” and an online bridal registry, where couples can register for china, crystal and silver.
Even more successful than the store’s website, in terms of sales, is the business’s eBay store, where discontinued giftware can find buyers.
“We used to give away this stuff; now we sell it on eBay and there’s a real market for it,” explained Mosher. “We have done very well with it.”
The Mosher family is proud of its long history of doing business in Port Huron.
“It’s family tradition,” said Mosher. “Three generations before me thought enough of this business to spend their lives at it.”
This article was written by Amy Buttery, Michigan Retailer staff writer. |
