“Herman Hiss & Company was founded in 1867 by my great-great-grandfather, Herman Hiss. In its beginning, we were a jewelry store also specializing in watchmaking and optometry. Herman’s son, Florian, joined the business, and in 1929 they built our current store on Washington Avenue. Florian’s daughter, Sally, and her husband, Tom Tabor, continued the family business and kept the store evolving by building the gift side in the mid-1980s. Their two children, Barb Bosco and Tom Tabor, kept the family tradition and became the fourth-generation owners of the business, continuing all the values the store has been founded on. Today, my husband, Nick, and I are the fifth-generation owners of the store, making sure we continue to be a staple in downtown as the premier jewelry store in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Many of the items in our store today date back to our original location in 1867. The beautiful wooden cases you see on the jewelry side when you walk in are the original display cases. Visitors are always amazed to see how they open, with the glass sliding straight upward, a unique design that has stood the test of time.
When you come into our store, we are grateful to have an amazing staff that will help and guide you with any purchase you’re looking to make. It’s hard to find stores nowadays that offer truly hands-on customer service. We also gift wrap any item you purchase, free of charge. If it’s hard for you to come into the store, whether you live out of town or have a busy schedule, we have done FaceTime calls with customers, offered online ordering, and whatever else you need!”
-Christine Schwall, Herman Hiss & Company
“It always warms our hearts to help make magical moments in people’s lives even more special. There are countless stories we hear of how, at Christmas time or during any special event, people look for the specially wrapped box from us with our sticker on the outside. We know we are doing something right when we hear, ‘My mom and my grandma’s ring came from your store too, I just knew I had to get mine from you!’ It’s always so fun getting photos from couples after their engagement, showing the joy on their faces and then being able to share those.
There are so many things we offer and specialize in. Of course, we’re the region’s leader in engagement rings and fine jewelry. We carry everything from fine natural and lab-grown diamond jewelry to beautiful gemstone pieces and sterling silver collections. No matter what you're looking for, we have something for everyone at every price point. If you're in the market for a new timepiece, we also carry Shinola watches, all assembled right in Detroit.
We are so blessed that our community has been here supporting us all of this year. There have been many ups and downs that we have all gone through, and we are grateful to be supported by all of our customers through it all. It is a never-ending project of growing and changing to stay current in any industry and environment. We are always changing and looking for that next best thing. What has kept us going and staying successful for five generations is always staying true to who we are. We are the leading fine jewelry store in the area. Couples have trusted us with helping them choose a very important piece that they will have forever and be able to pass down in their family through generations.
It’s always wonderful to hear the stories when young couples come in that their parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents got their rings from us so of course they wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
-Christine Schwall, Herman Hiss & Company
