Saying Goodbye to a Middleburg Gem “The outpouring of affection and gratitude has been humbling,” he om Hays has worn many continued. “The sale has been great, hats over the years—social but not been enough to change my studies teacher in East mind. I didn’t want to make the Harlem, a New York City wrong decision, so I waited a long cab driver doing carpentry on the time to do it. And now, it just feels side, an occupational therapist in a right.” mental ward. But in Middleburg, it’s Unlike countless businesses he’s been all about one passionate pursuit seen come and go in Middleburg over as a highly-successful jeweler with a his tenure as the longest individual devoted local and regional clientele. shop-owner in town, Hays found a And now, after nearly 50 years as formula to make it all work. the proprietor of Thomas Hays & “It’s a difficult town to be successful Son on Madison Street, he’s decided in business,” he said. “There is not Photo by Leonard Shapiro to move into another phase of his a lot of foot traffic and you have to Tom Hays life—a well-earned retirement. maximize the local and the tourist His elegant little shop will close for business. You also have to have a strong service end. good on Dec. 23, a decision that did not come easily It’s really an art to make it work.” for a 76-year-old man who arrived in town in 1972. The art part also has always kept his interest. He initially opened a small boutique that included Back when he lived in New York, where he earned clothing and gifts and eventually morphed into a Masters degree from NYU, he initially dabbled in jewelry and all the services related to that business. designing his own jewelry. Over the years, he spent “The reason I’m stopping is because of my age,” he a lot of time traveling to New York’s famous 47th said in a recent interview. “In a small town, there is Street diamond district to purchase items he’d later a lot of down time, and too much time between the sell in Middleburg. And he also developed a network next big sale. As much as I love it, it’s time.” of fine jewelry artisans around Northern Virginia For the last few months, Hays has held a going- who have executed his designs and supplied the out-of-business sale he described as “just amazing.” shop with a variety of gorgeous pieces. By Leonard Shapiro
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“One of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I have is made of antique stickpins that he designed,” said Upperville attorney Mildred “Bucky” Slater, a longtime patron. “He’s a very nice man, a very talented man. We’re going to be sorry he’s closing.” That sort of devoted local clientele keeps coming back year after year. But he’s also well aware that buying trends in recent years have shifted to the internet and led to the demise of many brick-and-mortar institutions both locally and around the country. “That’s the challenge in Middleburg,” he said. “Because millennials seem to be so squeezed for time, they can shop online. They use their free time for experiences, not going into stores. All small towns have suffered. I’ve talked to shop owners in England, and their small villages are dying because of it.” Hays actually grew up in a very big town— Washington, D.C.—and famed Washington Post Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein was a childhood friend. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1966 and eventually gravitated to New York. He once traveled the country in a camper, and actually discovered Middleburg on the advice of friends. “I drove out here one day,” he said. “And I said yes, this is it.” With $10,000 in savings, he opened up his business, and the rest, as they say, is local retail history. “It’s been a hell of a ride,” Hays said. “I could not have written a better life story for myself.”
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