Happy days are here again, and again and

Trein’s owners Judy and Eric Brantley have good reason to smile: It’s because they’ve brought a lot of smiles to customers’ faces through the years. “The jewelry business is one of the happiest businesses to be in,” Eric said.

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@ SHAWMEDIA.COM

TREIN’S cont’d from page 15

The business has been putting smiles on people’s faces for generations, since a pair of Amboy merchants took their jewelry business to Dixon shortly after the Civil War. Today, the team at Trein’s is still making people smile, whether customers are looking for a piece of new jewelry or they want to bring new life to a family heirloom.

The Trein name became part of the store’s story when William Trein took over the business. After another ownership change, Eric’s father, Gordon, bought the business in 1954 and it’s been in the Brantley Family for nearly 70 years now. Gordon met his wife, Linda, when she was a young employee; they eventually married and raised Eric, who remembers wandering the shop as a boy, amazed by all of the shiny tiny pieces of steel and stone.

“In the 50 years that my father was here, he built a business and a reputation that was all about taking care of the customers and making sure they were happy and satisfied,” Eric said. “It’s been a pleasure to continue his legacy, rather than trying to build one of our own. We’ve, of course, made some changes to keep up with times, economies and lifestyles, but it’s still the same theory: We want our customers to be happy, and when they come back, it’s for something good.”

Established 1975

TREIN’S cont’d to page 17

EstablishEd 1947

F l a v o r s We bringlifetoproducts.TM

SM-ST1963372 Providing Community Service for 75 years.

309 S Galena Ave, Dixon, IL 61021 (815) 284-3371

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

TREIN’S cont’d from page 16

Though the store puts 1883 as its first year of business, its roots actually go deeper.

The Brantleys had originally thought the business began in 1883 until Linda dug a little deeper into the store’s history and, with the help of Telegraph newspaper ads in the 1870s, traced its origin to Amboy, to either 1860 or 1861.

The store’s lineage begins with Samuel Dodge and Augustus Kling, two mercantile shop owners from Amboy who later moved to Dixon some time after the Civil War to open Dodge and Kling jewelry store. Augustus’ nephew, E.L. Kling, bought out his uncle in 1883.

William Trein came to work for the store in 1906 after operating his own store for 5 years in Ashton, and eventually bought the store in 1920 and gave it its current name. He owned it until Theodore Wolf and Julius Hess bought it in 1944.

Gordon Brantley came to Dixon from Austin, Minn., eventually buying half-interest in Trein’s and becoming sole owner in 1965. Gordon was part of the business for more than 50 years before his death in 2005, after which his wife, Linda, took over operations. Eric joined

the store in 1987 and Judy came along in 1996. Linda, who started working at Trein’s in 1964, still comes by most days, and is Trein’s certified gemologist appraiser — a title in the jewelry business that is held in high regard, as not many achieve such a certification. Gordon and Linda were 22 years apart, which gave Eric two different generational mindsets to learn from. “He got to deal with a different generation. The one he worked with was different from the generation my mom worked with,” Eric said. “So I got to learn from the generation before me, and before I was even born, that generation. It’s given me knowledge that I probably couldn’t have gotten otherwise.” The Brantleys aren’t the only family who have a history with Trein’s. The store has served generations of families through the years, and Eric knows of at least one family that’s bought weddings gifts from Trein’s for five generations. Sometimes a family jewel even returns to the store. About 20 years ago, a lady brought a ring purchased Dec. 22, 1924, that once belonged to her aunt, and wanted to sell it back. The ring came with the original receipt and box. It originally was bought for $45, which would be about $740 today, but was missing the stone and was damaged. Eric bought the ring back for the original $45 price. TREIN’S cont’d to page 18

Business Journal | Summer 2021 17

Trein’s has a selection of colorful eastern European art glass.

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA. COM

TREIN’S cont’d from page 17

“She wanted to know if we wanted it back, because she didn’t want it,” Eric said. “The stone was missing, but it was purchased by her aunt, who never got married. She purchased it for herself in the original Trein’s box. I bought it from her, just because, how could I not?”

Watches have also passed their time in the shop, since its earliest days. Today, the Brantleys also repair, engrave and appraise jewelry, and every now and again make international trips to find more fine jewelry to bring to the area. The store also carries a wide selection of eastern European art glass, watches, pearls, necklaces, earrings, and stainless steel accessories, such as tie bars and cuff links.

The art glass, most of which originates from the Czech Republic, is displayed prominently along the store’s walls. The Brantleys purchased much of their original collection in bulk from a Dixon native who designed them.

Sometimes, a customer has more than one reason to smile when they shop at Trein’s, like sales associate Monica Druen. She came into Trein’s for a wedding ring, but left with something more: a job.

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM Getting a ring on her finger helped Monica Druen get her foot in the door at Trein’s Jewelry when owners Eric and Judy Brantley were looking to hire someone. Trein’s designed Druen’s wedding ring, and eventually asked her to join their team. “I’m really starting to appreciate the whole process, and I really enjoy working with the customers, who are awesome. It’s really exciting for me to learn and have fun.”

Business Journal | Summer 2021 18

TREIN’S cont’d from page 18

Druen’s journey from customer to customer service began last year when she was looking for a certain something special for her wedding ring, and Trein’s — which does around 200 to 300 different pieces of custom work each year — turned

More info Trein's Jewelry, 201 West First St. in downtown Dixon, is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Find it on Facebook, go to treinsjewelry.com or call 815-284-6626 for more information. out to be the perfect place. She and Eric worked together to come up with a customdesigned ring with an orange sapphire set off by diamonds from her mother’s wedding ring. “I’ve learned about how there is so much detail in a ring, and what goes into it,” Druen said. “I’m really starting to appreciate the whole process, and I really enjoy working with the customers, who are awesome. It’s really exciting for me to learn and have fun.” Eric and Judy don’t have any children of their own, but they’ve already agreed that when their time comes, they’ll do everything they can to make sure the store remains a part of Dixon. “As fast as businesses change, and when they change hands, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of longevity,” Eric said. “They’re in it for the quick money, they’re in it for the quick return, and they’re in-and-out and gone. This should give them the confidence that we’re not going anywhere. We’re growing and keeping up with times, because what we were in 1883 and what we are today are very different. We like that we’re at the forefront of it all.” n

Sometimes, the rings at Trein’s come full circle, like this one that a customer purchased in 1924. Decades later the customer’s niece brought the ring into Trein’s and asked if they wanted to buy it back. The ring, still in the original box and with its receipt, had seen better days, but the woman left the store with $45 in her pocket and a piece of the store’s history had come home. “I bought it from her, just because, how could I not?” said Eric. SUBMITTED PHOTO