Silver anniversary a jewel

Monday, May 12, 2008

WORKING as a teenage filing clerk and taking jewellery hobby classes, Graham Manning never thought he would be in the jewellery industry 25 years on.

Graham and his wife, Karen, who manage Graham the Jeweller, have been in business for 25 years on Wednesday.

At their shop in City Place for the past four years, the couple will open the champagne bottles to celebrate their milestone.

"It doesn't feel like 25 years," Mr Manning said. "I'mthe jeweller on the bench and Karen runs the store and that's been a really good combination.

"We've been able to cater for most tastes and do everything in here which is different from so many of the other stores these days where they're a chain setup and people lose that personal touch."

They first opened business at Knudsens' Lane, the same year Cairns welcomed the International Airport and have dealt with three generations of customers since.

"We're proud of that and get to know our clients on a first-name basis," Mrs Manning said. "We've been dealing with generations of customers and we've grown with the Cairns community."

The business won the Retail Excellence Award in 1998/1999.

<strong>Precious anniversary:</strong> Graham and Karen Manning, owners of Graham the Jeweller, celebrate the silver anniversary of their business.

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