Guess what the Roncari family was making for Wexford Jewelers in the spring of 1995?
Our very own showcases! Yes, the showcases that are still in our showroom.
In the above image, Julie entertains while Sarah is holding a piece of Formica that would soon become the showcase bases.
Before that time, we had operated a couple of locations in other states. But in the spring of 1995, Angelo and Karen decided to return to their beloved Northern Michigan and try their luck in Cadillac, purchasing the old NBD bank building on the corner of Mitchell and River Streets.
The brick edifice was in somewhat rough shape, so our family did what we could on a shoestring budget, patching up the floor and roof, installing safes, and painting the entire inside.
Humble beginnings, and a lot of work needed!
Then, we needed showcases. Angelo got a few quotes from case manufacturers but decided the Roncari family could do it ourselves, while saving money. So we measured and calculated, planning the customer service and repair areas, laying down tape for the footprint of the cases
Then Angelo and Sarah started making phone calls. In the pre-Internet days, if you wanted something special, you’d use the phone book and start asking questions.
Eventually we tracked down a sawmill in southern Michigan with 8”x8” thick beams of solid golden oak. We hauled a few dozen home to Cadillac and began the painstaking process of ripping them (sawing with the grain) into the dimensions we needed. After that, the oak required hours and hours of sanding. Sarah might still have some oak dust in her lungs…
From there, careful angled cuts and drilling, some complex joinery, and a lot of math with paper and pencil, and the case frames began to take shape.
Formica cut to size and layered over plywood was a smelly, messy stage of that project, but eventually we had our showcase bases in place and were ready for the glass. Douglass right here in Cadillac, Michigan worked patiently with us to get every sheet and triangle cut to size and beveled, then we carefully glued the glass in place, building little support systems inside the cases to hold the heavy glass in place.
Many coats of varnish and sanding later, it was time for the little sliding doors. The manufacturer we’d located for the doors couldn’t get them to us in time for our opening, so once again we started calling around until we found some aluminum track, sheets of acrylic, and plunge locks via mail order.
Imagine how easy all of this would’ve been nowadays with Internet access!
While this was in progress, the family got the store prepped for our grand opening.
Here is Karen Roncari hand painting our first Open sign, and Emily painting the office (converted into additional showroom space in the last decade)
Above: The late Angelo Roncari, standing with Karen Roncari and an associate in the front corner of Wexford Jewelers at 801 N. Mitchell St, Cadillac Michigan
