OCALA, FL (352today.com) – If longevity is the true measure of success, Gause & Son has set the standard for fine jewelry in Ocala and beyond.
Cammie McLeod’s grandfather, Otho, was one of many siblings. Coming from a farming background, he found he didn’t want to work outside anymore–which is kind of ironic, she said, because Marion County and Ocala used to be such an agrarian and rural place. Otho and Claudie Gause established a business that has undergone its own evolution, stocking items like fine China in addition to the expected jewelry items during its nascent stages, said McLeod, who is Gause and Son’s CEO and buyer. The Ocala institution was founded in 1950.
Connecting with the community
Gause & Son remains an independent jeweler, and a true family business, as it’s still owned and operated by the same family, said Cammie McLeod.
“I’m third generation. I came to work here when I was 21, 22,” said McLeod. “Jerry Gause (McLeod’s father) came from a military background. You start from the bottom, you just don’t pop in and say, ‘Hey, I’m selling all these beautiful diamonds.’ And at the time, we had three locations. My grandfather started out with just one location.”
Familial foundation
Jerry Gause took over in 1980 and expanded the operation. At that time there were three stores, but the store on Ocala’s Historic Downtown Square was always the main location, said McLeod.
“We’ve always taken such pride in being a fine jewelry store in downtown Ocala, and we bring in a lot of customers from outside of Ocala, and now that Ocala has grown so much, with the hotels opening, it’s really nice because you get a lot of people visiting,” said McLeod. “They look for places to shop. We take pride in the fact that we’re able to remodel and make this showroom bigger.”
Gause & Son’s commitment to excellence, their prestige, and their unwavering dedication to their customer base has earned them respect within the community.
“From a family standpoint, the thing we take most pride in is that we have generations of customers coming back to say that my grandfather bought this diamond and they left it for me,” said McLeod. “‘We want to have a ring made from Gause and Son Jewelers because it represents, family, heritage and trust.’ It’s just special, and the reputation that my parents have built, that means more than anything because the jewelry industry, especially independents, you’re really valued on your trust and integrity you’re taking in people’s keepsakes. Not only are you selling them something that they can pass down, but you’re also repairing and appraising and giving values on customers’ items. They want to find a place, and when they see we’ve been in business for 75 years, that says a lot.”
Independent jewelry stores are not as numerous as they once were because the younger generations don’t necessarily want to continue the family business, said McLeod.
“My dad always said, the third generation spends all the money,” said McLeod. “The first generation had to really work hard to get it going. The second generation makes all the money, and the third generation spends it. That’s why he’s still here. He’s got total control still. I take pride in the fact, being able to work, my parents worked together for so long, my grandparents were both involved.”
McLeod’s mother Teddie Gause, worked closely with her father Jerry, and her grandparents Otho and Claudie, who started the company, it was their seamless collaboration and vision that created the reality that Ocalans have experienced for generations.
“We do everything. It’s just the way it is, and from a military background, you had to pass the white glove test,” said McLeod. “My mom taught me a lot about the buying. We have so many connections across the country, with people we’ve purchased things from, our merchandise, everything is handpicked. I got into the buying aspect, the gemology of it, and the gemstones, and that’s what I started doing with my mother,” said McLeod.
Prestige and performance
Gause & Son has won several awards, including the prestigious Morris P. Zale Award in 1990 (their competition included Fortunoff’s and Tiffany & Co., and at that time, they were independently owned).
“That was [Jerry Gause’s] goal,” said McLeod. “They flew us to New York City. That was his limelight. He was really proud of that. Ocala, it’s something he’s always wanted to make a better place. He wanted his employees to work in a great environment.”
McLeod’s grandfather and father were extremely talented salesmen, and her father was a great mentor.
“Financially we’ve been able to hang tight and strong, and have kept the company going, even through hard times, keeping the cost down, and being able to persevere, and that’s something that he was always good with, making sure that business was running tightly but yet successfully,” said McLeod.
Taking care of the employees was always Jerry Gause’s ultimate goal. There are employees that have been with the operation for 35 years.
“We’re all like family because we spend more time together at work then we do at home, especially during the holidays,” said McLeod.
Several generations of customers return routinely to the store, and Gause & Son has the motto of taking care of the customer, said McLeod.
“I think people with luxury items they want the personal contact, where they can talk to a person and know that they’re going to be taken care of,” said McLeod. “We take pride in the quality of our merchandise. My mom and grandmother were the backbone of the business. They had the energy and the enthusiasm. I never worked with my grandparents. My grandmother had a great personality, laughed a lot, had fun and made it a welcoming environment.”