All that glitters
East Norriton — All that glitters isn’t just gold for Shuler’s Jewelers. It’s also diamonds and gemstones and 120 years of accolades from some very happy customers.
When Alex Zenker bought the business on DeKalb Street in Norristown from Ralph Shuler back in 1971, the reputation of what was then primarily a gift shop trading in fine china, sterling silver flatware and jewelry had already gathered considerable luster from the time of its turn-of-the-century roots.
Through a move to Logan Square Shopping Center, and finally to its reign as the anchor store at Hillcrest Plaza since 1991, Shuler’s has endured changing trends and shifting economic temperament by offering unparalleled customer service and keeping a finger on the pulse of its customers, said Howard Zenker.
Sitting behind the desk in his small officer, the owner of the venerable store laughed as he recalled being “dragged kicking and screaming ” by his father into the family business.
“My dad had already owned Zenker Jewelers in Royersford and bought Shuler’s in Norristown around the time I was graduating from college and may have thought of it as a career for me,” said Zenker, who owns and runs Shuler’s with his wife, Rosanna. “I didn’t take to it immediately. I thought I was going to be an English professor or something. But this turned out to be a very good thing for me.”
Zenker got his basic training at the Royersford store and ultimately bought the Norristown business from his father, in addition to a Chesterbrook shop that the family opened in 1981 and closed last summer.
Alex Zenker, now retired, never considered changing the store name, his son noted.
