Brockton's iconic Romm Diamonds has new owner. Who are they? What will change? What won't?
BROCKTON — After 26 years together, Billy Piazza proposed to Caren Polillio. As generations of locals have done, Piazza bought the rock at Romm's.
The West Bridgewater couple, who run a horse farm, came to the iconic 1280 Belmont St. jewelry store Thursday as longtime owners Alex and Gladys Rysman passed the reins to a new, larger family business. Twelve years ago, doctors told Piazza he had cancer in his neck and head. They gave him 5-10 years to live. Polillio helped nurse him through to remission.
Oh, and she said "yes." The wedding is Sept. 29 in Whitman.
Similar family backgrounds
The Rysmans are headed into retirement. It's the end of a 45-year detour from Alex Rysman's plan to become a sociologist.
"When I was 20 years old. I wasn't sure what I was going to do in life," he said. "But there were two things I was sure of: One, I would never live in Brockton, and, two, I would have nothing to do with the jewelry business. It goes to show that prediction was not my greatest strength."
Alex Rysman said they considered several buyers after initially planning to simply close. From the start, George Hannoush of Hannoush Jewelers expressed interest. The Rysmans originally picked a different buyer, Alex Rysman said, before that deal fell through. Gladys Rysman said she's happy with the continuity of values between the Rysmans and the Hannoushes.
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"It is the right place for him," Gladys Rysman said, "because his family background is so similar to ours: People come in from elsewhere to make a life in America."
The Rysmans hail from Russia and the Hannoush family traces its roots to Lebanon. Romm Jewelers goes back more than 120 years in Brockton. The Hannoush family founded their first jewelry store in Springfield 44 years ago.Abe Hannoush put it this way: "We are the perfect fit. They have a lot of the same values that we have," he said.
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What will change at Romm Diamonds?
Shoppers won't see too many changes as the new ownership settles in. For one, the faces behind the counters will be nearly unchanged. According to both the Rysmans and Hannoushes, all Romm Diamond employees are staying on either at the Belmont Street store or another Hannoush location.
Among them is the voluble Deirdra Lindo. She has moved from operations manager at Romm's to assistant manager of the Hannoush outpost at Westgate Mall. While passing out prosecco at Thursday's grand opening, Lindo said she considers the Rysmans like another set of grandparents.
"We love the family that we have built," she said. "We went through it all together."
Lindo said she's worked at Romm's for four years. The ups and downs during that time included a false alarm that the store would close altogether.The Romm name will remain on the marquee. Changes will include bringing back a full-time jeweler to handle repairs and resizings. Hannoush said the product line may change slightly, with more of an emphasis on watches and silver.
Robert Thomas manages Hannoush stores across the region. He said he's looking forward to earning the loyalty of Brockton-area customers.
"We are hoping that people will accept the fact that it's not Alex and Gladys, but it is another family that is continuing the tradition," Thomas said. "Come back and give us a shot."
Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Romm Diamonds in Brockton's new owner is Hannoush Jewelers
