In 1914, Day’s Jewelers was started on the back of a dream. Captain Harry Davidson opened the first Day’s store on Congress Street in Portland, ME, after his ill health forced him to retire from a life at sea. His goal was to build a company that could stand the test of time. The business shortly became a family affair when Captain Davidson was joined by his three sons, Sidney, David, and Herman. Over the course of 30 years, the Davidson family opened an incredible 21 Day’s Jewelers locations throughout Maine— establishing the company as one of New England’s premier jewelers.
In 1978, remaining Day’s owners Sidney and David, both in their 70s, decided to begin the process of selling the business so that they could retire. Over the course of the following ten years, the brothers liquidated 21 of the 22 Day’s stores, opting to keep the Westbrook, Maine, location open.
Welcome New Owners
In September of 1988, Jeff and Kathy Corey (does that last name sound familiar?), owners of Jeffery’s Fine Jewelers in Waterville, Maine, decided to purchase the Day’s Jewelers company from the Davidson family. Jeff Corey’s father Robert instilled a love of jewelry in Jeff, inspiring him to open his jewelry store with his wife Kathy. Perhaps it was destiny or mere coincidence that Jeff’s father once worked at the very same company Jeff would buy and run for 30-plus years! At that time, 10-year-old Robert Corey was hired to work at Day’s Jewelers as a custodian and stock boy in 1937; at age 19, Robert became the manager of the Caribou, Maine, Day’s Jewelry store location. Another nine years passed, and Robert left Day’s to open Robert’s Jewelry in Madawaska, Maine. Robert and his wife Enid raised seven children, all of whom worked in the business.
In 1989, the H.E. Murdock Corporation, a jewelry wholesaler, purchased Day’s Jewelers. The new owners of the company, Jeffery Corey, Kathy Corey, James Corey, and Mark Ford, together set out to reestablish Day’s Jewelers as one of New England’s finest jewelry companies.
New England Jewelers
Day’s has since opened eight stores in Maine and New Hampshire; the original location of Jeffery’s Fine Jewelers in Waterville, Maine, became the first newly-owned Day’s location. The Westbrook store was closed, but the H.E. Murdock Corporation went on to open locations in Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Topsham, and South Portland, Maine locations, plus Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire locations. Day’s also has a bustling e-commerce side to its brick-and-mortar locations. DaysJewelers.com hosts all of the company’s products so customers can browse, order, or request to see items in-store from the ease and comfort of their homes, on their time.
As Day’s has grown, the company’s commitment to the time-honored values set into place by the Davidsons has remained steadfast. Value, opportunity, trust, and sentiment apply to each and every sale, product, and customer follow up, and is instilled in each employee at the start of their employment as well as continuously through their co-workers.
Social Responsibility
Day’s has committed to the responsible, ethical, and sustainable mining of diamonds, gemstones, and metals. And because of this commitment, Day’s is involved with a number of programs to ensure that all jewelry their customers purchase is ethically mined and created. They ensure their customers receive the best value for their hard-earned money. As the Kimberley Process came into act in 2003, Day’s helped lead efforts to keep conflict diamonds from entering international trade routes. In the same vein, Day’s supports Earthwork’s campaign for No Dirty Gold, which supports human rights for the workers behind mining gold, and ensuring that environmental impact is minimal. The American Gem Trade Association monitors the mining and cutting of colored gemstones, and Day’s is a long-time member of the organization, supporting the responsible sourcing of these stones.
And of course, Day’s Jewelers turns to Stuller to uphold their ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Day’s Jewelers Gives Back
Day’s also supports its local community. In 2014, Day’s celebrated its centennial anniversary by raising $100,000 for the Jewelers for Children, an organization that benefits many children’s charities, including Make-a-Wish® and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
It’s been a long, one-hundred-year-plus journey for Day’s Jewelers, but the company wouldn’t thrive without the help of its incredible employees. In 2014, Day’s was honored to receive the Retailer of the Year award from the Retail Association of Maine. This award recognized Day’s continued growth in employees or sales, commitment of company resources to community projects, and creation of a positive work environment for all employees. Day’s was selected as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018, and strives to meet that goal again in 2019.
Day’s Jewelers strives to continue building a company that stands the test of time. As they continue to grow and evolve to be the best jewelers in the area, they remain committed to customer service and exceptional products. They’ve also managed to give back to their community, something all businesses in every industry should aim toward.
