The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-01
Great Richmond Jewelry
House Is Part of City's
Industrial History.
OLD BUSINESS FIRM
BECOMES VERY NEW
Keeps Right Up to Date All the
Time-Started in Petersburg,
Developed in Richmond, and
Has Kept the Record
Good All These
Years.

One OF the oldest and best known
mercantile and Industrial establish
rnenta Of Richmond has within the past
few weeks been undergoing kind or
concentration, REORGANIZATION ne
cesSitatcd h:' the laws that human
agency canrot control The history of
the Nowlan ,Icwclry house il !areA'v
Il part OF the history OF Richmond and
equally as Interesting.
The death II November last os that
patriotic Richmond citizen, Robert j..
Macomber. who for many years was the
president Of the Nowlan companS.
n"ccssitated new selection of officers
OF the well-lenown company and in y
measure n change in the management
OF tho business
Tho reorganization resulted in the
election Of che following officers Of the
present No'vlon Company. Robert l..
Winston. president and general man
aScr; A. K. Nelson. vice president: -.
o. Thomas. secretary and treasurer,
and the following directors: l. L. Win
ston I. y. Macomber. A. H. Nelson. H.
L. Ellyson and +. q. Thomas.
This reorganization of an old COM
pany calls to mind that the Sow!an
Company is one OF the old institutions
OF Richmond, one that has made Rich
rlord famous and one that latter day
Richmond. as well as the old timers,
Is proud of.
1t is retail jewelry establishment
that all of Richmond and all OF Tir-
Einii ana Sortn Iarotila, as tor that
matter, are proud Of and rs before
minated its history is largely linked
with the better history OF Richmond.
The old and in every way reliable
tewclry house Of Nowlan x Co. was
FIRST established In Petersburg, and a
their start In that Yer good old Eir-
ginia town. 1t WIS established in that
town away back yonder in the year
1880 by Thomas Nowlan \ few years
a ~ 1af Dan.
then mere boy. went to live with Mi.
Nowlan. first just as clerk and then
rs II partner.
Richmond Looked Good.
Up to the breaking out OF the War
Between the States they conducted n
thriving and most profitable, business
in the Cockade City. War times were
not especially good for the Iewclry
business. especially in tho towns and
cities that were the centre of activi-
ties of a war kind.
at the lose Of the war these good
people found their business in bad
shape, and that, as in many other
kinds OF business, capital and even
energy had been very much depleted,
and their own particular business was
wellnigh gone. Nothing dauntcd
however. they looked the situation
square in the lace. They saw the de-
Nastation that had come and figured
on Ii. They saw the Cockade CITY as
IL was, anu, Ike some other mighty
good men of that day and time, they
turned their eyes iongingly 10 Rich
mond. Like other good men, they easily
decided that under all OF the circum-
stances. ~ they then came to the sur
tacc. lichmond offered II wider and
more attractive field for the kind OF
new activities they proposed TO throw.
into business. Accordingly. In the good
year 1855, these good men moved to
Richmond and established themselves
aud their business. under the firm name
ana style or Nowlan & Co. ut the cor
ner OF Main and Tenth Streets
IL is matter OF history that these
young men--and they were, compare
lively speaking, young men thcn--werc
among the very first 10 build and TO
commence business iii what was then
the burnt district of devastated Rich
nond.
Among tho Firat RcbuiIders
Just how they got there and Just
no" they managed il all. history does
not disclose but the fact remains that
theE We're among the first to show in
Richmond. after the war complet..
stock Of tine goods in the jetvclry line.
Commencing with such a stock ana
with strict attention to business from
the very start--that attention being
always IN the interest OF their patrons
ana always guaranteeing the quality
OF every article they offered for sale
they were not long in gaining the con-
raenco OF the good people. not only OF
iichinond, but OF the whole State aud
Of tire good state OF North Carolina.
III was not to be wondered at that in
very few years the business of this
concern had grown TO such proportions
rs to require Il larger store and one
better suited to their purposes. / do
not know Just when the change came,
but IL did come in due time and the
Nowiau Company had To build the
n Al "a /.
ut a2l East Main street, store--or,
may say, = stand--that has become
famous III tile history OF Richmond.
the business grew not only in Rich
nohd, but throughout Virginia and
North Carolina, and II was necessary
10 enlarge IL from year TO year TO meet
the requirements
The Nowinn Company.
think IL vas in 1895 that the Now
lam Company was Incorporated. and
then tie officers were Thomas Nowlan.
president; Robert T. .Macomber. vice.
president. and Robert f.. Winston see
rotary and trca4urer. \ few ycur>,
later AIR. Nowlai retired from the bust
ness, ANA was succeeded by AIr. Ma
comber as president OF the company.
Always looking to the enlargement
and extension OF their business, the
company then rohttrd rlich. store with
the most modern and M to-date fix
lures for tho display OF their lnvga
and elegant stock OF hne diamonds,
watchcs solid gold jewelry and ster-
lirG stlNerwarc, and Installed in their
shops on the second and third floors
iAcoern machinery for the n.anufar-
tnrc ana repairing ~ nne jewclry and
watches aud the remounting OF dt.t-
monds and other precious stones.
Unique DtstinctIon.
Under this recrganizat ton their BUST
ness has been greatly increased. nor