Birdsall’s Jewelry, Fine Gifts and Accents

What started out as a small family pharmacy in Cut Off quickly morphed into a family jewelry store that has recently expanded into Thibodaux.

Thomas Birdsall, a certified gemologist, and his sister, Dr. Maria Birdsall Cruse, have taken their family jewelry business, Birdsall’s Jewelry, Fine Gifts and Accents, to the next level by expanding into Thibodaux with hopes of soon stepping over the parish line into Terrebonne.

“Me, my wife Jamie, my sister and her husband Ken have taken on the task of opening another store in Thibodaux. We saw an open market to give the people in Thibodaux quality jewelry for all occasions,” said Thomas.

Thomas’s father and longtime pharmacist Walter Birdsall opened the Walter Birdsall Pharmacy in 1972. The store was 5,000 square feet, which was too big for the pharmacy. In 1975, Thomas’s mother Betty Birdsall decided she wanted to try her hand at the jewelry business, taking up some of the space in the building.

“Things were converting at that time and major businesses were coming into the area. My mother looked into the jewelry business. We dropped the cosmetic line that was in the pharmacy and added a little bit of jewelry in one of the showcases,” Thomas recalled.

The jeweler said most of the money that was earned from jewelry sales went into buying more inventory. Betty continued to do that for nearly seven years, until the store grew and incorporated the well-known jewelry retailer, Saco’s Jewelry and Diamonds.

“A lot of the retailers had given up Saco, and they [Saco owners] asked if their merchandise could be in the store. Once they were in our store, we got a little more foot traffic,” Thomas said.

The family business began to grow, but it was still lacking certain qualities that would have made it a top retailer.

In 1976, while still in high school, Thomas took it upon himself to learn how to repair jewelry, a market that was completely new to him. He trained as an apprentice in New Orleans, and he attended a specialty school in Alabama.

“By doing repairs, we were able to get a faster turn-around on the repairs,” he said. And, subsequently, the business continued to grow.

By 1978, Thomas entered college at Nicholls State University and continued to repair jewelry for the store on the side. The young jeweler helped put himself through NSU with the money he made. After graduating, Thomas attended Gemological Institute of America, a professional jewelry school in California. He earned a gemologist certification, making Birdsall’s one of four jewelery stores in the area to be certified to handle high-end merchandise.

The diamond and gemstone professional said he received several job offers from major jewelry companies throughout the U.S., but elected to stay in Lafourche Parish with the family business.

Over the years, Birdsall’s has grown into one of the biggest jewelry stores in the Southeastern part of the state.

But the family didn’t want to limit its business to jewelry. The Birdsalls wanted to offer gifts that residents couldn’t find anywhere else. Thomas said the key to success in the jewelry business n finding unique and different gifts and jewelry.

“We are able to handle a lot of things that other jewelry stores wouldn’t handle, like black pearls. We have made it possible to have those types items in our store,” he said.

The Thibodaux store is the first expansion for the family-owned business. Thomas said the family saw a big vacancy in Thibodaux in the gift merchandising area. “They have a few jewelry stores, but not ones with their quality of jewelry we have. We decided that Thibodaux would be a good place to come in and to set some new roots,” he said.

Thomas continues to follow in his mother’s footsteps, while his siblings pursue careers in medicine. And his parents, now in their mid-70s, are still working n Walter in the pharmacy and Betty as a jeweler n in the Cut Off store.

Birdsall’s Jewelry, Fine Gifts and Accents

Owners: Thomas Birdsall and Dr. Maria Birdsall Cruse

Founders: Walter and Betty Birdsall

Address: 610 N. Canal Boulevard, Thibodaux, La.

118 W. 111th St., Cut Off, La.

Phone: (985) 448-0435 or (985) 632-5003

Employees: 15

Store Hours: Monday through Friday 9 p.m. n5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 p.m. n 2 p.m.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA