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Richard Isroff considers himself semi-retired.
After nearly 40 years working in the jewelry business, the Middletown native now operates on his own schedule. He has no office, no inventory and works by appointment only in helping his clients design and repair their jewelry.
“I like what I do,” Isroff said. “To me, it’s all about enjoying life. This is a people industry, and I enjoy people.”
Isroff said his father brought the first Rogers Jewelers store to Middletown in 1937. His father also became partners in the Reed Klopp Furniture store and eventually sold the jewelry business in 1948 to run the furniture store full time.
After several years at the furniture store, Isroff said he began working for Rogers Jewelers, where he spent 36 years of his life, but now operates his own personal business on his own time.
“We had a good time (at Rogers) because we did it well,” Isroff said. “We were known for excellent customer service, and now I do what it takes to help people make the right decision with their jewelry.”
Isroff said he was responsible for a lot of the design work at Rogers, but when the company decided to move its headquarters to Austin, Texas, he pursued other opportunities.
He did some consulting work in Boston for a brief time before making a return to Middletown and the jewelry business, he said.
“I know the jewelry business, so I decided to come back to Middletown and reinvent myself,” Isroff said. “I’ve assembled a consortium of resources including a craftsman to help me give people the best possible value.
“In the jewelry business, we help people celebrate the most important times in their lives,” he said. “I always said if it is worth remembering, then it is worth remembering with a diamond.”
Because he considers himself semi-retired, Isroff also spends a lot of time working in the community. He is involved in the Middletown senior levy campaign, Downtown Middletown Inc., and with projects through the Middletown Community Foundation.
“I’ve always been a believer in that a town is only as strong as its downtown, and we need to strengthen ours,” Isroff said of his involvement with various projects. “I do the jewelry business because I want to, not because I have to.”
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