Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
REPAIR MAN — For nearly 40 years, Walter Goodrich has been fixing and selling jewelry in Houlton. Goodrich is closing his store and moving to Massachussets.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — For nearly 40 years, Walter Goodrich has played a prominent role in the community of Houlton through his actions as a town official and businessman.
So when faced with a decision on whether to remain in the area or relocate to be closer to family, it was more difficult than he first thought. But changes to his wife’s job, a desire to be elsewhere in the winter, and the arrival of the couple’s first grandson proved to be the deciding factor in closing his business.
The Goodrichs are saying farewell to Houlton and moving to Cape Cod to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law, Jeff and Carissa Phillips, and grandson Jacob.
Goodrich’s Jewelry, located on the North Road, will close sometime in the coming weeks, depending on how long the inventory lasts. He is currently offering reduced prices as part of a “going out of business” sale.
The Goodrichs moved to Houlton for his wife’s job as therapist. At the time, neither had ever been to Maine and figured they would be in the Shiretown for maybe a couple of years before heading further south.
Walter took a job at Osgood’s Jewelry store, located in downtown Houlton in shop located next to J.C. Penny’s. He got his start in the jewelry business by repairing watches as a hobby and approached the owner one day to see if he needed any help in the repair part of the business.
After working there for about a year, he was offered the opportunity to purchase the store, which he did in 1975. He relocated the building to a bigger store on Main Street and enjoyed great success from that location for a number of years before moving to the North Road
“The downtown started to struggle and we had an opportunity to come up to the North Road, where there was a lot more traffic,” he said. “The store we had downtown was beautiful. It had the old antique pieces from the French Store. I think a lot of people felt they could not afford the jewelry in the store, so we came up here and added more less expensive gifts. It was a bigger variety and that worked well for a lot of years.”
When the recession began a few years back, his business took a big hit. Consumer tastes also changed.
“It’s tough to compete with the bigger stores,” he said. “The younger generation is used to malls and Internet. That is where they shop. If you are going to sell expensive jewelry, the older people just couldn’t afford it anymore.”
Repair has always been the biggest part of his business, and thankfully, it is the part of the job he enjoys the most.
“The repair is what has kept us going over the years,” he said.
In 2010, the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce lauded Goodrich for his accomplishments when he received the organization’s highest honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“When my wife [Lois] and I moved to Houlton in 1974, we came from very different areas of the country — me from a bedroom town in Connecticut and Lois from a suburb of Washington, D.C.,” said at that time. “We were quickly welcomed into this friendly town and it became a great place to raise our daughter. I was soon impressed with the people of the area and was aware of the dedication many showed for the town.”
Goodrich said he has no plans to open a retail jewelry shop in Cape Cod, but is planning to do jewelry repair from his home. He has also extended an offer to his customers in Aroostook County to mail any items they need to have repaired to him in Massachusetts.
“Small jewelry stores are closing across the country,” he said. “It’s unfortunate.”
In Houlton, Goodrich was part of the Revitalization Project in the late 1980s and was often the first person to support efforts to improve the business climate in the community. He is a past president and board member for the Chamber; a past president of the Retail Trade Board; past president and current member of the Houlton Rotary; was elected by Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow; is a past president and member of the Houlton Planning Board and the Houlton Regional Hospital board of directors.
Goodrich served as president of the Health Services Foundation and is chairman of the Houlton Town Council.
He said he would miss the people of Houlton whom he has become close friends with over the years.
“I have been involved in a lot of different groups,” he said. “It was all very rewarding.”
