Twins, traditions and timeless sparkle: 40 years of family and nostalgia at Jewelry Wholesale

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Nostalgia has a way of wrapping around us like a well-worn, well-loved sweater. It carries the scent of memories, the warmth of familiar places and the quiet reassurance that some things, in a world of constant change, stay beautifully the same.

For twin sisters Stephanie Hrisko and Stacey Gregory, that nostalgia is embedded throughout Jewelry Wholesale.

Their story begins less with them and more so with their grandfather, John Copeland. In 1980, Copeland started the Sumter jewelry store in a small shop on Broad Street, getting his foot in the door during the Add-a-Bead craze in the 1970s and '80s. After marketing his 14-karat gold beads at $1.29, he was able to beat out local competitors and, in two years' time, moved from the 1091 Broad St. location to around the corner, opening doors to a 6,000-square-foot store on Wesmark Boulevard.

Here, the Copeland family said they were able to cultivate one of the largest selections of jewelry in Sumter. And used two of its cutest assets to do so.

Stephanie and Stacey didn't just grow up near the store - they grew up in it. As children, they became the faces of Jewelry Wholesale commercials, their bright smiles and youthful faces lighting up local TV screens, outdazzling the sparkling diamonds and jewels.

The commercials weren't full-fledged Hollywood productions; they were family affairs, filled with the quiet chaos of getting two young girls primped for their closeup, a task for Suzanne Horton, the twins' mother and Jewelry Wholesale store manager. That might have been the most stressful part of the day, the twins agreed. But the moment the camera started rolling, the pressure lifted.

"I think the whole experience of [filming commercials] was fun. Most kids have those ideas of 'Oh, I want to be on TV' and we actually got to do that, so that is a cool thing and something that we enjoyed doing," Stephanie shared. "It was just part of life when we were growing up. I don't know who came up with the idea to begin with, but we're definitely always more than willing to participate."

The twins worked at Jewelry Wholesale and starred in commercials well through high school. During their college years, they spent holiday breaks working behind the counters, the shop alive with holiday cheer and hurried shoppers. No matter the hustle and bustle, it was well worth it because they were with family. It is memories like those that made filming their most recent commercials - their birthday commercial in October and Christmas commercial - all the more special.

The laughter and shock shared among their family - their children included - about the looks they wore and the lines they recited was rewarding. To take those mental memories and see them play out again with tying a red ribbon around a quaint gift box, the famous "Hold your finger right here" line, the sparkle and shine of the diamonds and the season - it was a full-circle moment for the twins.

"We were getting ready in mom's bathroom together still, the same bathroom that we got ready for these commercials when we were younger," Stacey reminisced. "It was fun getting to do it together."

Much like Stephanie and Stacey's love for commercials, the Copeland family's dedication to the store hasn't faded with time. Their grandfather, at 86, still visits the store full of passion. Even during a hospital stay after surgery, he couldn't resist a sales pitch.

"To one of his nurses, he said, 'Do you need a diamond? Come to Jewelry Wholesale if you ever need a diamond,'" Stacey shared. "I think sales is just in the Copeland blood."

When they reflect on the four decades their family has poured into Jewelry Wholesale, Stacey and Stephanie see beyond a business. It's a legacy, built on the warmth of hugs exchanged between sales, the laughter of family moments shared on and off camera and the quiet determination that polished not only diamonds, but also the family's path in Sumter.

"It's been a huge blessing," Stephanie expressed about 40-plus years of Jewelry Wholesale. "It's a wonderful legacy to have a family business with such a long standing in Sumter. I'm sure there are other businesses like that, but to be a part of it, it's just been something really special."


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