| "In 1929, Fetzer -
May Company was located at 117 South
Commercial Avenue. It was
owned by Miss S. C. Fetzer and Miss Celeste May.
They were milliners. "Also located at this
address was Harbour's Jewelry Store,
owned by Jerry, D. Frank and
H. Arch Harbour. Their telephone number was
181. They dealt
in jewelry, gift goods, musical instruments,
phonographs, office supplies,
school supplies, radios, watch repairing, and were
optometrists. H. Arch Harbour was secretary
of the Kiwanis Club. C. H. Hufford was the
president. They
met on Fridays at 12:12 p. m. at the Baptist Educational
building."
(Coleman City Directory, 1929 -
Hudspeth.)
Earle E. Smith came to Coleman when only 21 years old on Friday, March 13, 1936 and purchased a jewelry business owned by Dr. Jerry Harbour, who later gave much good advice to the young store owner. However, Harbour retained his optometry business that occupied half the building. Since Smith’s entire transaction on buying the business was made on credit, he was always a strong believer of credit and based the biggest part of selling on that plan. Smith was born in Weatherford and worked in a jewelry store in Abilene owned by his uncle Rex A. Smith. After eight years of experience, before and after school, he came to Coleman to begin on his own. Earle Smith Jewelry was first located at 117 S. Commercial Avenue, which was the site of Harbour’s Jewelry Store. Clovis Tyson, had been in the jewelry business in Coleman since 1930. He first worked for Earle Smith at 117 S. Commercial Avenue, previously the location of Harbour's Jewelry Store, owned by Jerry Harbour. The store dealt in jewelry, gift goods, musical instruments, phonographs, office supplies, school supplies, radios, watch repairing, and was an optometrist. When Smith purchased his own building across the street, Tyson stayed with Harbour, running the jewelry store, while Harbour carried on with fitting and selling glasses. Tyson may have operated the jewelry store under his own name part of this time. When the Coleman County State Bank and Coleman Office Building were remodeled in 1948, Tyson moved Tyson Jeweler there, opening in July 1948 Ed Henning was a jeweler and optician with his business and living quarters at 117 S. Commercial Avenue, next door to the fire. Henning, who was sleeping near his watch bench in the jewelry store located next door to the Hub Dry Goods Company, +++FIRE+++ +++Was This building was a third Horne building.+++ +++Add Henning's Jewelry Store ...+++  Henning's Jewelry Store
as seen in this snapshot in March 1959.
In 1962, Henning Jewelry and Edwin Henning, Jr. Optometrist was at this location. Luther Rhoads Realty moved his office location to 117 South Commercial Avenue from 1404 South Neches Street in November 1975. He occupied only half of the building. Edwing Henning, Jr. maintained his optometrist business in the other half. |