January 5, 2004
Kurt Blumenau

At Vogt's Jewelers of South Whitehall Township, this isn't just the start of a new year but the start of a new century.

"It is our lives, and it's our passion," she said. "I would hope that comes across to customers, that we care."

Vogt's, founded in 1903 in Allentown, is a rare thing in business: a family-owned company that has stayed in the family, and successful, for 100 years. Third-generation owners Barry and Penny Vogt run the store today, and their daughter, Trell Vogt-Dikeman, is poised to take over in a few years.

It hasn't always been easy. Jewelry is a crowded market, and earning a reputation takes time. Barry and Penny Vogt also made the difficult decision about 15 years ago to move out of downtown Allentown, the city that nurtured and supported the shop but was visibly on the decline.

"In order for Vogt's to continue to survive, we had to do something else, and this was the decision," Barry Vogt said. "It was very tough."

Then again, members of the Vogt family have been making difficult business decisions for 100 years, starting with Barry's grandfather, Charles Vogt Sr.

Charles Sr. worked for established Allentown jeweler J.H. Massey, earning a reputation for watch repair, engraving and goldsmithing. But he wanted to build his own business and legacy, his descendants said.

So he broke away and opened his own store at 441 Turner St., Allentown, offering a small line of jewelry, watches and watch repair. Through the years, Vogt's moved to locations on Tilghman and Hamilton streets, always remaining a one-store company.

The store flourished and expanded. Sons Charles Jr. and Frederick joined in 1922 and 1925 respectively, bringing a line of fountain pens into the business. Control passed to Charles Jr., then to Frederick, then to Frederick's wife, Helen, after his death in 1965.

Helen and Frederick's son Barry stepped up then to help his mother manage the company. He decided late in high school to give the family business a try and spent time at technical school, college and in the Marine Reserves before joining full-time.

It turned out to be the right choice. In recognition of his success and longevity, the Pennsylvania Jewelers Association trade group named him Jeweler of the Year two years ago. The group gives the award to honor jewelers with good business practices, strong reputations and long service, according to Executive Director Karen Fanelli.

Barry's arrival brought wife Penny into the family company as well. She became a "major force" in the store's growth, serving as its unofficial information technology expert, Barry said.

The store takes orders online, which lets the Vogts keep in touch with customers outside the Lehigh Valley they rarely, if ever, see. The store's customer list has 11,000 names, the Vogts say.

Barry Vogt likes to tell the story of a Brown University student whose father was friendly with a Vogt's supplier. On the supplier's advice, the son came to Vogt's to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend. After seeing the ring, some of the student's teammates on the Brown swim team ordered their own jewelry from Vogt's. Several became return customers.

"Some of them I've never even met," Barry Vogt said. "We've made up a lot of custom things for them." Online ordering is one of many services Charles Vogt Sr. might never have imagined.

The store employs 12 people, offering in-house appraisals, pearl stringing and custom jewelry design, as well as designs and products from outside companies. The Vogts want to expand the custom, one-of-a-kind business, Trell Vogt-Dikeman said.

The company does not release sales numbers, but the Vogts say it is comfortably profitable. Trell joined the store, like her father, through a circuitous path. She decided to give the business a try in 1992 after earning a degree in fashion design.

"It was supposed to be transitional," she said. "And now, it's become part of my life." The family doesn't have a clear timeline for the transition to a fourth generation. Barry, who is 63, gives himself and Penny, 59, "a few more years" until retirement.

But Barry, Penny and Trell agree on the store's direction, such as keeping Vogt's a one-store company. Part of the company's success, Trell said, comes from the fact that a customer can always walk in and talk to a Vogt. That connection couldn't be maintained with a second store, she said.

A move back to Allentown is also not in the cards, though Barry said the downtown has changed for the better since 1991. Barry and Penny live in the city, while Trell lives in Emmaus.

"They're making progress in changing the environment down there," he said. "[A move back] is not in any of our future plans. We're very happy with our location here."

Trell said she also plans to maintain the service and commitment the Vogts say have always been key to their business.

"It is our lives, and it's our passion," she said. "I would hope that comes across to [customers], that we care."