Harvey Rovinsky is the owner of a luxury jewelry chain on the East Coast known as Bernie Robbins Jewelers. He has run the business with his wife Madeleine for 57 years. The jewelry chain claims to carry the world’s most prestigious watches, an unparalleled diamond selection, and globally acclaimed designers. It was founded in 1962 by Maddy’s father and has stores in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Now Harvey and Maddy Rovinsky are handing the business over to people they trust.

“My wife and I are no longer kids,” Harvey said, according to Fox Business. “We don’t have any family in the business and we need some kind of succession plan…You know, our runway is getting shorter and shorter and if we have a problem with one of us or both of us, then the business is over. We were looking for a way to keep it going and keep really great people on a permanent basis. A lot of them have been with us for 30, 25, 20 years. So these are long-term employees, they’re like family.”

The businessman added that the future owners “love the business” and that there is “no doubt they will continue to run it and make it successful.” They spent quite a long time looking for people who were “qualified to carry on the legacy” of the original founder of Bernie Robbins Jewelers. Finally, the couple realized who would fit the bill. “We said, ‘You know, this has been right under our noses all this time. Instead of trying to find a qualified buyer, why don’t we give it to people who are running it successfully now,'” Harvey recalled.

The Rovinskys called six longtime employees to their home to surprise them by telling them they would get the Somers Point store, as well as the other two in Newtown and Villanova, for free. “They understand our culture, they know what we want. They’ve done it, they’ve run it, and we’ve been fortunate that the money aspect hasn’t been a motivation. So we’re going to keep the store running with the people who know how to run it,” Harvey shared.

Steven Jaffe, a store manager who has been with the company for nearly three decades, was one of them. “It was really a very exciting moment for me and the people involved,” Jaffe said, according to CBS News. “I’ve always treated this like it was my business, just like my co-owners do now.”

Harvey himself plans to stay with the company. The 76-year-old is a seasoned entrepreneur with decades of experience. Although the economic situation has caused financial difficulties, he has learned the tricks to keep the family business successful. He will work for the new ownership group as CEO of the company.

A recent sale of the company will help ensure the new owners have a debt-free business, Rovinsky said. As for those who will carry on the company’s legacy, the Rovinskys remain optimistic about the future. “Madeleine and I love these people. We’ve worked with them every day, many of them for 30 years,” he said. “So it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 1, 2023. It has since been updated.