WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP -- It's been two months since the iconic jewelry store, Bartikowsky's, closed in downtown Wilkes-Barre, but two of the store's employees haven't stopped working.
For decades, Ron Antolick and Carol Hannon spent their days repairing and selling jewelry at Bartikowsky's on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. But when their boss Max Bartikowsky closed its doors in February, the two set out on a new path, opening their own store called Raco Jewelry along Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard.
"Now we can sit and relax because waiting for it, you get your sleepless nights. And it`s like `Oh, do we do this? We can`t forget about this. ` But I`m glad it`s here," said Raco co-owner Carol Hannon.
The store had its soft opening in late March. Ron and Carol say the business is growing, thanks in part to their former boss, who stopped by the grand opening.
"When we were closing, people kept saying to me `Where can we go? Who can we trust?` and so forth. And at that time, we started giving out Ron`s cards and where he was going to be," said former boss and owner of Bartikowsky's Max Bartikowsky.
"He`s behind us all the way. He`s our outside sales. So it`s been really good," said Raco co-owner Ron Antolick.
Not only did the owners come from Bartikowsky`s, but so did this clock and so did these showcases in the middle of the room. And Max Bartikowsky says it`s great to see the Bartikowsky`s legacy live on.
"It makes me feel good that it`s like going into another room and you`re home. The clock, the showcases, the people," said Bartikowsky.
Ron and Carol hope the store lives up to the service and standards that Bartikowsky's did for 125 year