CELEBRATING MILESTONES

with Layers of Love

Join us as we celebrate big milestones here at Albert’s Diamond Jewelers. The ride sure has been sweet, and we’re ready to close out this decade by reflecting on someone near and dear to the heart of Albert’s.

For 60 years, Fred Halpern and his family have been the proud owners of Albert’s Diamond Jewelers in East Chicago, IN. Fred turned 80 in August, and over the last six decades, he’s watched his small store front blossom into one of the largest jewelry stores in the country.

With an unwavering commitment to providing a warm, friendly, and personal experience, the staff here at Albert’s reflects Fred’s positive mindset and dedication to giving you the best customer experience you can find. For Fred, jewelry store ownership goes beyond who walks through the front door.

“It’s not about selling something. It’s about making a friend or building a relationship,” Fred says. “I make friends for life.”

When you step inside our doors, you’ll feel an instant connection: Like you’re meant to be here. And, no customer is to feel left out or undervalued. You’ll find a wide variety of designers and watch brands for every price point or taste in style, as well as unmatched customer service.

In 2010, Josh Halpern was named president of the company, and if you asked him to describe his father, he’d more than likely tell you that Fred has been a mentor to him and has always set a good example of what a leader should look like.“Working for and working with my father has been the greatest time of my life,” Josh says. The journey has been long and not always easy, but we’re glad you’re here to celebrate with us as we take a look at what makes Albert’s so special to us and to the community we serve.

LOOKING BACK

Albert Rubinstein first opened the small jewelry store in 1905 on the corner of Main Street and Broadway in the Harbor neighborhood. With a diverse and hard-working community, the economic atmosphere of the steel mills lent a helping hand to the success of the Alberts, right up until Fred’s dad purchased it from a gentleman by the name of Bernie Davis in 1960.

That year, the steel mills closed due to strikes and the surrounding community struggled. Most of the surrounding community that frequented with Albert’s either stopped coming in or moved elsewhere to find work.

At 21-years-old and in the middle of a semester break from the University of Alabama, Fred found himself the owner of a bankrupt store with no inventory and no customers. The store did $27,000 his first year in business and Fred didn’t get paid. The following year Albert’s did just $36,000 in business, and Fred still didn’t collect a paycheck. In fact, Fred continued to live at home for the next five years, never taking a penny from the company for himself.

There were times when he struggled to pay the bills that kept that small store running. He even had to ask his small staff to wait a couple of days to cash their paychecks.

“I can’t tell you all the times I had to get on my hands and knees and beg the guy who was turning off my lights and my water,” Fred says. “And I said, ‘Please, I will pay you. Just give me another couple of days.’”

Fred was determined to succeed. He got creative and decided that if he couldn’t compete with the other stores and their inventory, then he’d outhustle them by staying open later and focus on building relationships rather than making money. Eventually, the hard work paid off and Albert’s flourished.

Josh remembers the old store well, recalling that the Main and Broadway store was full of characters and blue-collar folks; folks that came to love Fred and even followed his business when we opened our new flagship store in Schererville, IN, in 2002.

What started as a pass/fail college project for Josh soon turned into the business plan and foundation for what is now considered Albert’s main store of operations. Yet, through all the growth and success, Fred has never forgotten where he started or where he’s been, including the days without electricity or being able to pay his debts.

“When you go through stuff like that, you see that every customer becomes so valuable and so precious that you have to treat them so well or lose them,” Fred says. “And that’s what I call the layers of love.”

LAYERS OF LOVE

If you ever get the chance to meet Fred (and you probably will), the first thing you might notice is his genuine and warm personality. Even an hour-long conversation with him can seem like just a few minutes.

“His personality is very light and jovial,” Josh says as he describes his father. “He is always happy, and he is always attentive. So, when you talk to him, you always feel like the only person around.”

Building relationships and lasting customers has been a lifelong passion for Fred and is still one of the core values that drives Albert’s on a daily basis. This mindset starts from the top and trickles down throughout the entire organization, even leaking into the community and beyond.

“We’re trying to set an example for the world,” Fred says. “Our objective is to make a friend out of every person that walks through the door.” And like a friend you shall feel!

Warm cookies, free beverages, and smiling faces greet you at the door. And whether you’re a first-time customer or a regular face, we’re dedicated to making sure that you get a personal experience every time. Your happiness and satisfaction in what we do is our top priority. According to Fred, “If you’re happy with us, tell everyone. If you’re not, tell me and I’ll make it right.” But it doesn’t stop there.

We make sure we take care of you beyond the door. We send out ‘Thank You’ cards, call to wish happy birthday’s and congratulations on anniversaries or special occasions, or follow-up with you just to say, “Hello!”. We call this “The Albert’s Experience.” You are more than a client or a customer to us and we want to show that to you every day. Which is why we strive so hard to make sure that Fred’s philosophy doesn’t go unnoticed. But our layers of love don’t stop there.

While Fred might say that he’d find happiness in selling hot dogs out of cart, he knows that without Albert’s the Halpern family wouldn’t be able to support or give back to the community like we do. “Charity is at the core of our existence,” Josh says. “We exist to serve others and we’re a business so we can give back to our community.”

GRATEFUL HEARTS, OPEN MINDS

Over the years, Fred has enjoyed giving back to the community that’s been so supportive of him. Leading by example, he’s made it a point to help those less fortunate, a practice that goes back to his early ownership days. One of his fondest memories from the old store was gathering his staff every New Year’s Eve and asking them to bring home-cooked dishes. “If they were Polish, they’d have to bring polish sausage and sauerkraut, and if they were Italian, they’d bring some pasta or whatever,” Fred says. But the food wasn’t just for the staff. In fact, the whole town would show up, according to Fred. Whether they were regular customers, merchants, or simply needing a meal, the door was open, and Fred and his staff would share the food and drinks with everyone. “It was such a happy time in the store, and the people who had nothing would come in and take plates and plates of food and booze,” Fred says.

When his children were growing up, Fred made it a point to teach his children the importance of having a grateful heart and open minds. Josh reflects on how his father took them to the rehabilitation homes when they were younger where they connected with people who didn’t have family or regular visitors. It was important for Fred to show his children that not everyone enjoyed the same lifestyle or privileges. “When I went to work with him on a Saturday, we would visit retirement communities,” Josh says. “This is seven, eight o’clock in the morning, and we’d go visit these retirement communities and try to cheer people up and make them happy.”

Albert’s also gives back to the surrounding police departments and firefighters in the area. Every year, they gift the brave men and women who serve their communities with the “Hometown Hero Award.” Heroes are selected by their superiors and then Josh and Fred present them with a special certificate and a Citizen watch as a thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Celebrating education is also another way Fred has made Albert’s stand out. While he was unable to finish college, Fred has always appreciated the value that education can bring to a community. So, every year, Albert’s recognizes the students in the area that have excelled and improved over the course of the school year. Albert’s gives out anywhere between 60 to 100 watches to students every year. “So that’s a hell of a day,” Fred says. “The kids and their families come in and their so proud of their kids. I always give them my little talk and I say, ‘Our country’s going to be in good shape. You can be president and you can take care of our country.’”

In addition to these gifts, Albert’s celebrates Fred and Donna’s anniversary every year in a unique way by hosting weddings at the store. Fred and Donna were married on Valentine’s Day in 1968, just eight years after Fred took over the small business. Now, every year, Albert’s opens its doors for couples that want to get married and celebrate with them on their anniversary. “On their thirtieth wedding anniversary, my parents renewed their vows in the store, and ever since then, we’ve been marrying couples every year,” Josh says. “Couples that want to share their date can come get married for free.” Albert’s proudly hosts 20 to 25 weddings every Valentine’s Day, and each couple gets flowers, a cake, music, a video, and photo. Last year marked 50 years of marriage for Fred and Donna, which they, again, celebrated by renewing their vows in the store.

However, if you asked Fred what he is most proud of when it comes to his generosity, he’d dive headfirst into telling you how dedicated Albert’s has been in fundraising for the National MS Society Indiana Chapter. “For nearly 20 years, we’ve been raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. Last year was a milestone for us in two ways,” Josh explains. “One: we surpassed the cumulative two-million-dollar mark that we’ve been able to donate to Multiple Sclerosis. So, that in and of itself was a major accomplishment. Secondly: last year was our best year ever in fundraising; we raised $309 thousand.” Last year’s fundraising total made Albert’s the top fundraiser in the country for MS, and we know we couldn’t haven’t done it without our loyal customers, families and supporters in the community!

For nearly 40 years, Donna has been battling the deteriorative disease.

What progressed slowly has quickly taken over her health and Fred has had to step back from Albert’s to focus on taking care of his wife, something he now enjoys very much. “I found out that I can be a care giver. The things I do to take care of my customers, I also do to take care of my wife,” Fred says. “And I actually enjoy it. I enjoy cooking and cleaning. And I never thought I’d be able to do these things, shop and cook dinner, and clean up.”

For many years, Donna served as Albert’s bookkeeper and made sure that the store was clean and tidy, all while raising Josh and his sister, Holly. Eventually, the disease made it more difficult for Donna to visit the store and she was forced to remove herself. Fred says that his wife’s influence on Albert’s and their success story is all because of the woman she is. If there were a list of the best women on Earth, Fred would place Donna right at the top.

PASSING IT ALONG

Being in the jewelry business is practically in the Halpern’s DNA. As a third-generation owner, Fred learned from his father, and now Josh and Holly are learning from theirs. “I tried to make my parents proud. I tried to make my grandparents proud. I tried to make my children proud, and now, I’m trying to make my grandchildren proud,” Fred says.

Josh remains committed to growing Albert’s and continuing his father’s vision for the future. Fred’s daughter, Holly, has taken a page from her father’s play book and opened up to two Pandora stores of her own. Even Josh’s wife, Ashley, has her own collection that’s sold exclusively at Albert’s.

“You know, it’s amazing. First of all, I’m 80-years-old. And the average life of a man is 77, so I’ve beat the odds,” Fred jokes. “Every day is just a gift. So, I try to make the most out of the gifts I have.”

Josh knows his dad saw a leader in him at an early age, which is why he now has the opportunity to run the day-to-day operations. Fred still attends weekly meetings and focuses on the bigger picture, but a majority of his time is spent caring for and enjoying his time with Donna.

“I’m basically a mentor now,” Fred says. “I’m in my son’s ear, always asking about this and, ‘Did you remember to do that?’. I’m kind of like that guy from the Godfather.”

Owning and operating Albert’s for the last 60 years has truly been a family affair, and whether you’re married in, born in, or walking through our doors for the first time, we want every single person to feel like they belong.

“I always wanted to be the best jewelry store in the business,” Fred said. “I don’t think I’ll ever achieve it, but we’re always working on it.” We’re constantly aiming to be better, which is why we invite you to come inside, have a look around, and let us treat you like family. Nothing matters more to us than getting that chance to build a lasting relationship and learn about all you.

So, dear friends, we’ll see you at Albert’s!