((Left) Satterlee works closely with customers in the step-by-step process of designing and creating custom jewelry (Right) Gabriel Satterlee “does the majority of everything” in terms of day-to-day operations | Photos courtesy of Satterlee Jewely Repair & Design Center)
Back in 1941, when Redmond still had boardwalk and dirt streets, and weekly cattle and sheep drives through downtown were followed by herding the animals north to Shaniko, and then putting them on trains bound for Portland, fraternal twins Floyd and Lloyd Satterlee began selling jewelry and watches under the Satterlee Bros. banner — marking the start of a four-generation legacy business.
When Gabriel and Faith Satterlee officially became the newest owners of what is now Satterlee Jewely Repair & Design Center last September, they marked the transition with several celebratory parties for the departing husband-wife duo Sean and Keri — who had been running the store since 1989.
One of the gatherings, a Whiskey Night, hearkened back to the earliest days when Floyd and Lloyd “liked to meet after church at the local moonshine still to fill up their boot flasks and gossip with the guys — an early method of business networking,” according to Faith Satterlee who, while respecting past family lore, is firmly grounded in the present and also helping to plan Satterlee’s future.
She believes that “Coming into the family business was a way of God blessing Gabriel and me. Sean and Keri invited us to work with them back when we had a two-year-old and an infant. I had studied nursing, and Gabriel was doing landscaping, but he was always drawn back here. His parents created something really beautiful here, and we are blessed to be passed the torch.”
Sean now acts as a consultant, “If we need help on something such as training employees, he pops in once in a while,” said Faith, “while Keri regularly comes in to say hello. We’ve never had a problem separating our professional and personal lives — we all know what our roles are.”
Faith added that “We’re all just a big family, including the employees, one of whom has worked here for ten years, while several jewelers have been with us for 15-20 years.”
Gabriel, in his wife’s words, “does the majority of everything” in terms of day-to-day operations — including repairs, designing and building custom jewelry, and working closely with customers — while Faith, in addition to playing a key role with both customers and employees, manages inventory and maintaining the look of the store.
While appreciative of the Satterlee’s environment they inherited, the couple is also “integrating our own personalities,” and has begun making changes to the store’s interior such as moving the desk that was used to interact with clients into the office, and putting new showcases in its place.
Faith is also beginning to modify the overall interior design. “I’m striving for a rustic cabin feel that evokes Satterlee’s history combined with a bold modern style,” she explained.
Gabriel literally grew up in the business and began designing pieces with his father at five or six years old. “The two of them have always drawn — it seems to be a genetic thing,” Faith said. And now our young daughter is making designs with Gabriel!”
Like his father, who became only the second jeweler in Oregon to embrace the use of laser welding machines to accomplish difficult jewelry repairs, Gabriel is offering a new service.
“He is introducing a new generation to hand engraving — an ancient art form that creates extremely detailed and intricate designs that are difficult or even impossible to replicate with modern technology such as laser engraving,” Faith said. “It’s a lost art, and really fun to see Gabriel’s work.”
People come to Satterlee Jewelry not only from Bend, Madras, and Prineville, but from as far away as John Day — a two-to-three-hour drive. Customer reviews — “Wish I could give them 10 stars.” “Super friendly staff, very helpful, and beyond kind.” “Beautiful place.” “They always come through.” — explain some of the reasons for this loyalty.
And underscoring the historic Satterlee emphasis on customer service, repaired pieces are sometimes even driven out to customers when time allows. As Faith emphasized, “We like to keep people happy.”
Acknowledging the presence of other local jewelry businesses, Faith said, “We don’t look at anybody as competition. We’re all mutually supportive and don’t fight for sales. In fact, we regularly recommend each other. For Gabriel and me, like the previous three Satterlee generations, our goal is to meet the needs of every customer who walks in the door, and create lasting relationships in our community.”
