Friday, February 7, 2025

Brothers remember the legacy of their mother, the soul behind Goodman & Sons Jewelers

Inside Goodman & Sons Jewelers, everything sparkles.

Inside a set of double glass doors, wooden countertops sweep in large arcs toward the back of the store at 2018 Coliseum Drive in Hampton. Above, elegant chandeliers cast light from high, cavernous ceilings. Below, carefully placed lights illuminate gemstones ranging from emeralds to sapphires to diamonds and more.

But there are other items — just as valuable as the gemstones in the glass cases — displayed carefully around the store.

On the walls, the three Goodman brothers — Stuart, Ned and Eric — have hung newspaper articles, full-page advertisements and photos of their parents, who jump-started the family’s jewelry business long before the sons were born. Atop a glass case a photo of their mother, Lena Goodman, offsets a framed copy of her obituary, dated April 21, 2018.

Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude.

And Lena Goodman, 89, is living on in the diamonds her sons sell, too.

The Goodman & Sons Jewelers Lena diamond collection is extra-sparkly, like the woman herself, boasting more than 90 facets instead of the typical 58.

Beginnings

On a steamy June day, the brothers milled around the family’s Hampton store, helping customers and checking into operations.

What has now become one of the largest family-owned jewelry businesses on the Virginia Peninsula started as a modest watch-repair shop near Fort Eustis.

Stanley Goodman, the founder and patriarch of the jewelry business, had just gotten out of the Navy when he opened the watch shop around 1947.

Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. From left: Ned, Stuart and Eric Goodman. (WYDaily/Sarah Fearing)
Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. From left: Ned, Stuart and Eric Goodman. (HNNDaily photo/Courtesy of Goodman & Sons Jewelers website)

“Watches and jewelry just went together,” Stuart Goodman said.

The business grew from a connection to the diamond industry in New York City. Stanley Goodman was born in North Carolina but had family in New York City and developed relationships with diamond cutters in the Big Apple.

Today, the business does jewelry repairs, sizing, diamond replacement and other custom work at their two locations, one in Hampton and the other at 4640 Monticello Ave. in Williamsburg.

The Goodmans specialize in bridal items — one of their mother’s passions.

“She was so lovely,” said Colleen Hartman, a long-term customer. “She was so full of life. I see why her sons are that way too.”

Strength

Lena Goodman was a shining, driving force in the local jewelry business, her sons say.

Born Aug. 21, 1928, Lena Goodman was a civilian employee with federal government for 30 years. Through the years she worked as a bookkeeper, executive secretary and more.

When Goodman & Sons moved to the Riverdale Plaza Shopping Center in Hampton in 1979, Lena Goodman joined the family business full time.

Stuart Goodman and longtime customer Colleen Hartman pose for a photo June 19, 2018. Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. From left: Ned, Stuart and Eric Goodman. (WYDaily/Sarah Fearing)
Stuart Goodman and longtime customer Colleen Hartman pose for a photo June 19, 2018. Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. (Sarah Fearing/HNNDaily)

“When they joined forces, that’s when the business really took off,” Stanley Goodman said. “The business really took off with her tremendous vision and focus.”

Lena Goodman introduced a whole new level of service to the business, putting the priority on jewelry. The family also sold high-end china and other keepsakes, such a silver baby spoons, for a period of time.

The business expanded again, this time to Williamsburg, in 1998.

Lena Goodman was a hard worker, but she also connected with people easily and deeply.

“She was so intuitively aware of human beings, had empathy for everyone who came into contact with her,” Stuart Goodman said. “She’d win you over. She taught us.”

Their parents were married for 62 years before Stanley Goodman died at Riverside Regional Medical Center on Sept. 8, 2010.

Each of the Goodman brothers has a special ring modeled after an original ring worn by their father. Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. From left: Ned, Stuart and Eric Goodman. (WYDaily/Sarah Fearing)
Each of the Goodman brothers has a special ring modeled after an original ring worn by their father. In this photo, Stuart and Eric Goodman put their hands together to show their matching rings. Since their mother’s passing in April, the Goodmans have worked to preserve their mother’s touch on the family business, embracing her genial customer service and industrious attitude. (Sarah Fearing/HNNDaily)

Remembrance

Since their mother’s passing, the Goodman brothers have kept the jewelry business moving forward while keeping their parent’s values at heart.

The business remains family-oriented, with both Eric and Stuart’s sons working for the business, and Stuart’s retired wife sometimes helping string beads and pearls.

To this day, each of the brothers wears a gold ring set with two diamonds and a ruby.

The rings were custom-made years ago, replicating one family ring Stanley Goodman wore throughout his life.

“We all loved it so much, Dad had one made for each of us,” Stuart said.

Stanley Goodman set goals for the business, and Lena Goodman helped achieve — and sometimes surpass — them.

“She was the person that had the vision,” Stuart Goodman said. “Her personality was just shining.”

When the brothers describe their mother, they choose their words carefully and precisely, looking to do justice to a woman whose legacy is still far-reaching.

“Our mother was the one that loved being part of different events — the philanthropic part of the business and community,” Ned Goodman said.

“She just enjoyed hard work and was dedicated to it. Family meant everything to her, and she loved her friends and family.”

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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