Thu, Oct 5th, 2023 - 9:43am
September 19, 2019 - 7:56pm | By Chris Larson
Local jeweler, Wimmer’s Diamonds, celebrates 100 years of business in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Fred Wimmer, a Hungarian immigrant, first opened the doors in 1919. September 19, marked the retailer’s 100th Anniversary of servicing, making and selling jewelry and diamonds throughout the region.
“This is a very special time and year for us,” says Aaron Wimmer, current president and great-great-grandson of the store’s founder. “One hundred years of being open as a business, especially in a community like ours, means being involved in the lives of many different people through many different times and historical events.”
Wimmer’s, currently a store that selects and sells diamonds from around the world, prides itself on having a talented and trained team. “We enjoy helping clients with their engagements, anniversaries and all their memorable moments,” says Wendy Thymian, Wimmer’s West Acres sales and buying manager.
“When our store was first opened by my grandfather in 1919, it was originally called the Fargo Jewelry Manufacturing Co.,” explains Brad Wimmer, CEO of the family-owned company. “We may have changed the name but the heart and core of what we do hasn’t.” Wimmer’s employs two full-time goldsmiths, a certified gemologist appraiser and several seasoned senior diamond salespeople.
Since its opening in 1919, the store has seen more growth and change than a simple renaming. The jeweler has expanded by building and maintaining two Fargo-storefronts, one downtown at 602 Main Avenue and the other inside the West Acres Mall.
“As a small and family-run business there are things we know are important to maintaining a successful company” says Aaron Wimmer. “The most important piece, for us, has been the community we’re in. We’ve always felt like part of the community. We enjoy being there for them, and they’ve always been there for us.”
To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Wimmer’s hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting event at its flagship store in Downtown Fargo inviting media, the community, friends, family and customers.
When asked what “was next,” Brad Wimmer, with a smirk on his face, replies by saying “I can tell you that Wimmer’s has changed throughout the years, and that change has always been alongside what’s happening and changing in the Fargo-Moorhead community. There are some exciting changes happening right now in how retail stores engage and take care of their customers and we’ll be excited to grow and change right alongside with them.”
