The owners of Gemelli Jewelers will be consolidating their resources and moving to a single location in an effort to cut back on hours and spend more time with family and friends.
Twin brothers Joe and John Gemelli, who have been in business together for over 20 years and operate two stores in Queens — one in Maspeth and another in Ridgewood — announced that they will be closing down the two locations, at which each brother acted as the sole manager, and will be moving to a new location at 61-01 Fresh Pond Rd. in Middle Village this coming June.
“I’ve been doing this for 28 years. My brother Johnny and I both enjoy the business, but we just want to slow down a little bit. For 25 years, we’ve worked six days a week… and time is limited,” said Joe Gemelli.
According to Joe Gemelli, the two brothers began thinking about the potential of slowing down their business after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, when he suddenly had nothing but free time for three months. Their father died at the age of 46 and their uncle at 62, and now that the Gemelli brothers are both in their 50s, they decided it was best to slow down their business.
“[During COVID-19] I’m mountain biking. I’m cooking all these homemade pasta meals I never did before. I’m cleaning and fixing things. Walking the dog 15 times a day. It definitely opened my eyes a little bit to like, hey, you know, life can be pretty good. And life is good: I got a great wife, a good family, everything’s great,” said Joe Gemelli. “While I’m healthy and I’m in a good place, why not enjoy it now?”
Gemelli Jewelers will still offer the same services and retain a majority of its staff. The new location even has parking at the back of the store, which they said should be a plus for much of their clientele. Each brother will manage the store on different days, confusing all but the most loyal customers who know each twin. Though there will be some overlap and difference in management styles, Joe Gemelli said he’s looking forward to being in the same location as his brother.
On top of taking time to do simple things like walking the dog and traveling, now that Joe Gemelli’s son has officially graduated from college, he’s thinking of even starting a new business venture for the two of them.
The Gemelli brothers say that they’re “not going anywhere” for the time being and will continue to operate the new and only location the same as they always have.
