G.C.I. Fine Jewelers

Closing

by Sally Mitani

posted 7/2/2012

G.C.I. Fine Jewelers will be closed by the end of June, says a "friend of the family" helping with the closeout sale, who didn't want to be named. The closing probably isn't news to anyone driving down Washtenaw in the last month or two--large sandwich boards and signs were everywhere. G.C.I. has had several locations since it opened in 1982, but most recently it's been a discreet second-story shop over Panera Bread, near Whole Foods.

G.C.I. stands for Golden Chain Incorporated. Sixteen years ago, Holly Ellis and Ronda Campbell took the business over from their father, jeweler Arthur "Pete" Peterson, who founded it.

"They just wanted to make some changes," the friend said when asked why they're closing. "Holly became a grandmother, and Ronda is the mother of a five-year-old. They never commented on the economy or anything."   

[Originally published in July, 2012.]