Bagley's Success, Longevity, based on quality and trust.

Rick Heimbach - Owner of Bagley Jewelers

Bagley and Company is a Duluth retail institution built on trust.

The jewelry, china and giftware store at 315 W. Superior St. has been around for more than a century. Bagley’s longevity could be because of effective business management, sound financial investments, a reputation for fairness, quality merchandise, hard work, loyalty and a little luck.

But owner Rick Heimbach knows it’s also the quality and dedication of the staff at Bagley’s that has earned the trust of Northlanders for generations.

“ I’m fortunate to have a stable, knowledgeable group of associates, and it’s a tradition I’m happy to continue,” he said. “Our 16 employees have more than 160 ac-cumulative years of experience at the store, and that knowledge and experience directly benefits our customers. People have come to trust our guidance when deciding on jewelry or a gift item, because they know our reputation and they believe in our reliability.”

Reputation is not a commodity you acquire overnight, but you can lose it that fast. And because jewelry tends to last forever - or not, depending on its quality the reputation of a store dealing in fine merchandise like Bagley’s can often depend upon an item sold to someone’s mother or grandmother.

Each of the department heads at Bagley’s is responsible for the buying, merchandising, displaying and advertising for their individual products, and they are very knowledgeable about what they are selling. They choose from literally thousands of available choices, ac-cording to Heimbach, looking for items that fit standards of quality, uniqueness and price expected by customers. Even the store clerks specialize in their areas, so they can always be of assistance.

“ We choose not to be a bargain-type jeweler,” he said. “We are cost-competitive without sacrificing quality and style, and we stand behind every item we sell. We know our products inside and out, so we can offer them to consumers with confidence and represent them correctly. And people appreciate the quality, care, time and guidance we give them.”

Again, it comes down to trust. “One of the biggest things we deal with is personal sentiment,” Heimbach said. “The gifts we deal with and sell are ones of sentiment. You are dealing with people’s lasting emotions. A piece of jewelry is being given to someone they love, and they want that love to last.

“They want the jewelry to last, too. At some point they have to put their trust in somebody. People keep coming back to us because products sold by Bagley’s keep their quality over the years. Those who buy on cost alone find, usually to their sorrow, that the problems far outweigh the savings.”

In an era when retail stores seem to come and go with jarring regularity, and one shopping mall jewelry store looks like every other, it’s a comfort to know Bagley’s has changed so little over the years.

Bagley Jewelers started as F.D. Day Co. in 1885.

But the store is in the same location where it started in 1885 as the F.D. Day Co. Much of Bagley’s interior decor has remained substantially unchanged, with a lot of original woodwork dating to 1908. And Heinbach is the great-grandson of the store’s namesake, Cassius H. Bagley, who started as an apprentice for Day at age 19 and purchased the business in 1895.

Today Bagley’s receives a steady flow of traffic from as far away as Minneapolis (“People say we have a more interesting selection than they can find in the Twin Cities”), and access to the downtown Du-luth skywalk a few years ago makes Bagley seven more accessible to shoppers. The store does a lot of jewelry designing, from heirlooms to redesigning to contemporary styles to settings of new and old stones - all by staff associates who excel in those areas, insuring quality.

Rick Heimbach, owner of Bagley and Company, stands behind every item sold at the downtown jewelry and giftware store.

Historical Photos

Margie Rolfe Symbol Of Bagley's Trust

Margie Rolfe stills remembers the day she began working at Bagley & Company - May 19, 1942.

Margie Rolfe -Bagley's Jewelry Expert

F.D.R. was president, a dozen eggs cost 27 cents and the country was tallying behind Its troops overseas. As It is today, downtown Duluth was a vibrant retail district centered around the "300 Block."

For Margie, the center of the 300 Block has always been Bagley & Company, the fine Jewelry, china and giftware store that has been at 316 West Superior Street since 1885. "My sister was already working for Cassius Bagley in 1942," Margie recalls. "Bagley's has always had a wonderful reputation, so when I became a salesperson here, well, I was just thrilled."

Margie remembers the store's namesake, Cassius H. Bagley, as "a real darling, a very nice man" who always made sure that the Bagley's sales staff knew the importance of customer service. "We always try to make our customers feel at home," she said. "You can sense this feeling of togetherness when you walk into our store and it really is important to our customers. People always tell us how much they trust us."

In the early 1940's, Margie's manager, Mr. Murphy also showed her this trust sending her to New York City and San Francisco to observe the operations of the world's largest jewelers. "Mr. Murphy offered me a $10 incentive for every store that I visited," Margie recalls." Well, I went to Shreve's, Cadier's, Royal Copenhagen, and Saks Fifth Avenue to name a few. When I showed my business card as an introduction at Tiffany's, a white haired gentleman took me for the grand tour. We began in the shipping room and eventually ended in front of the Hope Diamond."

"At this time, my teacher, ALice Meriam taught me the importance of buying fine jewelry with the customer in mind. I only buy beatiful, quality jewelry that I know my customers will find tasteful. And I always make sure to take my time and teach my customers about the differences in our jewelry lines. That makes all the difference."

The experience, and her 48 years at Bagley & Company, have made Margie one of the Northland's most trusted and sought after jewelry experts. "Her knowledge of gold, sterling silver and precious stones is really remarkable, " said Rick Heimbach, owner of Bagley's and great-grandson of Cassius Bagley. "If there is one person you wish you could emulate, it is Margie. She's always upbeat, positive and makes everyone in the store more knowledgeable."

"I'm very lucky to have such talented people on my sales staff," Heimbach continued. "Our people sincerely care about our customers. They know their merchandise, have an excellent eye for quality and take the time to listen and educate. This approach really instills confidence in our customers." Heimbach noted that his 14 employees have more than 175 accumulated years at Bagley & Company.

"We're in a good business because we specialze in beauty and we're making people happy." Margie added, "Bagley's has always stood for quality and honesty and we always will. And we've always known that the customer is number one. Anything less just wouldn't be Bagley & Company."

No one but Margie could have summed up Bagley's so well.