Our History
Hogan's Jewelers' journey, a story most hold close to their hearts, is filled with laughter and kindness. Hogan's has been a fixture in downtown Gaylord, Michigan for over 60 years. Ollie and Geraldine Hogan founded the family business on Main Street in 1958, a few blocks east of its present location of 311 W. Main Street. Ollie and Gerry were very well known faces about town; long time locals remember Ollie's daily walking trips up and down Main Street (often times selling jewelry right from his vest pocket) which earned him the nickname of "Ambassador of Main Street." Gerry's bailiwick was the back room at Hogan's, where she took care of the business side and for one period of time even handled the Michigan Secretary of State duties, selling license plates from the back door.
Gene and Betsy Hogan Sanders bought the store from Betsy's parents in 1980. For the next 30 years, Gene was the driving force behind the jewelry store while Betsy pursued her passion for teaching at Gaylord High School, retiring in 2009 after 31 years of being an educator. Together they proudly raised their three children: Tyler, Abby, and Colin Hogan Sanders, who all worked in the jewelry store as teenagers, and who have all moved on to other professions after having graduated from college. They are all employed in various parts of the country, and enjoy offering jewelry advice to their friends and coworkers.
In the late 1980's, Gene and Betsy chose to expand the size of the business in order to accommodate a showroom for grandfather and wall clocks, fine crystal, and collectibles. Hogan's was also amongst the first jewelry stores in Northern Michigan to employ full time goldsmiths and bench jewelers to repair jewelry on site; this is a key to our business success.
In preparation for Hogan's 50th Anniversary, the showroom was remodeled and transformed into a diamond room to better serve Hogan's growing clientele. In addition to a large inventory of diamonds and diamond jewelry, Hogan's has colored gemstones, gold ring mountings, watches, and an extensive collection of high quality fashion jewelry. Hogan's takes great pride in its far-ranging clientelle; we have clients who have been shopping with us for over 60 years, and now their children and grandchildren are loyal Hogan's clients. Even when they move from Gaylord, they still come back to Hogan's for their jewelry needs.
Sadly, Gene passed away in September of 2010 after a brief illness. As a result, Betsy assumed the role once filled by her parents, and more recently, her husband. After serving her community for 11 years and making her loved ones proud, Betsy made the difficult decision to retire. Holding true to her belated husbands wishes, Betsy turned over the family business to Eryn Collins in October 2021. Eryn has decades of experience at Hogan's Jewelers, and had worked as Gene's right-hand woman since the young age of 15 years old. Those who remember Ollie and Gene are filled with joy knowing Hogan's remains in good hands with the God Daughter of a local legacy. We keep close to our hearts the passionate words Gene had left us: "Helping you love the ones you love." The tradition of providing service and value to clients, which began over 60 years ago, proudly continues to this day at Hogan's Jewelers.
