History of Moyer Fine Jewelers

Dan Moyer is one of those true entrepreneurial spirits who chose his calling at a young age and never looked back. How many jewelers today can say they started their business while still in high school? That is exactly what Dan did, selling mainly Indian jewelry after school to friends and family. What did Dan do during his summer holiday before entering college? He happily spent the summer traveling the east coast, selling turquoise jewelry at art fairs and festivals. His last stop on that summer tour was the Chicago gift show, where, he was exposed to what he recalls as "a bigger world of products," inspiring him to take his business to the next level. "I decided to take the few hundred dollars I had saved, invest it in products like solid gold chains and other small 14k jewelry products and expand my offerings for my first year at college," he says. "I also sold other cool things like tumi leather. It was a huge success." He didn't stop there. In addition to selling his jewelry in sorority houses, Dan also expanded into beauty salons. Working weekends was always part of the picture. "I came home from college every Friday and Saturday to sell my salon route," he recalls. "It helped me to put myself through college." A few weeks after graduating in 1979, with a degree in finance, Moyer decided to make jewelry a full-time job, convinced that it was a better career path than anything he might do in finance. He opened his first shop in a storefront space he shared with a nail salon. Many of his first customers - and still customers today - are the beauticians and their clients that he met during his college years.