The shop, which has been situated in the centre of town for generations, is expected to close its doors for the final time in January, bringing an end to a family business dating back to 1860.
Owner Will Van Zanten said a combination of family circumstances, changing shopping habits, increasing pressures on traditional retail and the introduction of GST has led to the difficult decision to close up.
While GST was not the main reason for closing, he admitted it had been a significant factor in deciding when to call time on his business.
‘I was sort of 90% there,’ he said.
‘But when they finally made the decision on GST, I thought right – if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do it now.’
He had originally considered beginning the winding-down process next summer, but concerns about the additional administration and costs associated with GST helped accelerate those plans.
‘It’s not just the amount of the tax that they’re putting on. It’s the extra administration which adds several hours a week of extra work. That’s obviously got to be picked up somewhere.’
He said he was approaching retirement age anyway, and his two children had pursued careers elsewhere, meaning there was no obvious next generation to take over.
The closure will bring to an end a remarkable chapter in the island’s retail history.
The business was established by his mother’s family in about 1860, initially as furniture dealers and cabinet makers, before moving into town.
‘They started off in Les Amballes, and then moved into what’s now Christies,’ he said.
His grandfather bought the current premises in the Pollet in 1919, shortly after the First World War, and the business gradually evolved from antiques and furniture into jewellery, clocks and watches.
Mr Van Zanten said the shop had been part of his life for as long as he could remember. As a boy of five or six, he and his sister would sit alongside his grandfather helping to change watch straps. Growing up, family members were regularly called upon to help prepare stock for the busy tourist trade.
Although he originally planned to join the RAF, a motorcycle accident put an end to those ambitions and he eventually followed the family into the business.
‘A job came up in the UK, training as a watch maker, and I never looked back.’
He took over when his parents retired in 2003.
Now, after more than a century and a half of trading, the decision to close has prompted sadness among customers.
‘There’s a lot of shock,’ said Mr Van Zanten.
‘We’re within everybody’s living memory. There isn’t anybody still around who remembers a time when we weren’t here.’
He believes the loss reflects wider changes facing the High Street, with online shopping increasingly challenging traditional retailers.
Even some trade suppliers now sell directly to customers online, leaving independent shops competing with the very businesses supplying their stock.
He fears the personal service that has long defined the jewellery trade is gradually being lost.
‘This trade has always been about the personal touch. You’re there for all the best things, all those special occasions.’
Despite the emotional weight of tying up a family legacy, he believed the time was right to move on.
‘With that many years of history behind you, it’s a strange feeling to be calling it a day, but it does feel that now’s the right time for lots of different reasons.’
A closing down sale is already under way, with the family hoping to remain open throughout the Christmas shopping period.
The future of the premises has yet to be decided, although Mr Van Zanten hopes a new tenant will find a fresh use for the historic building – with faith that the High Street will persevere.
‘Hopefully, things won’t be quite as bad as we’re all expecting,’ he said.
‘There are still good people over here who are going to keep the trade going.
‘The biggest problem I can see with a consumption tax – that no one seems to have considered – is it needs a lot of consumption. And at the moment, times aren’t that great. People haven’t got that much disposable income, and there’s no sign of that changing very much in the near future.
‘But if somebody wants to do the job badly enough, you’ll find a way around that. For those who are still in the earlier parts of their career – you’ll work through it. Things come along, you find a way to work around it.’