Godley’s Jewellery closes after 111 years serving the community

By Rob Vogt – Local Press Writer
If you close your eyes and listen carefully, you can almost feel George Godley at his bench carefully repairing a watch.
And his sharply-dressed son Geoff and his elegant wife Jessie, attending to the needs of every customer who comes to their jewellery store.
And their daughter Vanessa, first as a teenager doing the engraving, then as owner and operator of Godley’s Jewellery Store, sitting at that same bench doing everything she can for her customers.
The lights faded to black for good on Jan. 31 when, after 111 years, Godley’s Jewellery Store closed for good.
George Godley came to Claresholm from Sarnia, Ontario where he bought an existing jewellery store and opened for business May 8, 1912.
He was a watchmaker and optometrist, and always sold jewellery.
George died in 1946 and his wife Lily took over the store.
Their son Geoff had started working in the store in 1936 with the encouragement of his father. By the time his father died, Geoff had completed his apprenticeship as a watchmaker and jeweller in the store, and was ready to run the business with his mother.
He would later go to Calgary to earn his credentials from the Canadian Institute of Watchmakers, graduating in 1947.
He married his wife Jessie in 1949, and she worked a variety of jobs for mental health, Sears and others.
When Lily retired in 1971, Geoff and Jessie ran the store, and continued to do so until their health started to fail.
Jessie retired in 1998, but Geoff kept coming in every day.
Sadly, Geoff and Jessie both passed away, five months apart, in 2001.
Their daughter and current owner Vanessa Koshney said she never really felt the spirits of her grandfather or parents in the store, although their presence is everywhere.
She wishes she had, because she hoped they would have given her a sign it was time to retire.
However, she did receive a sign after all.
Koshney was walking around her store one day, and asked for a sign.
Then a friend walked in, announcing she was retiring at 55.
“That’s my sign,” Koshney said.
With that, she announced the beginning of the end.
“I’m glad I did it,” she said.
However, she understands it is a loss to Claresholm and feels bad for the community.
Yet, Koshney has given almost 40 years to the store and the community.
She had been engraving at the store since 1983, and graduated from Willow Creek Composite High School in 1985.
At that time, her mom was on bed rest, so Koshney went to the store to help out.
“I’ve been here ever since,” she said.
Over those years, she has seen a lot of changes.
When she started, gold was $8.95 per gram. It is now $53 per gram.
The store used to sell crystal and dishware, but people no longer want that.
Watches, the foundation on which the store was built, have all but disappeared.
“Because of cell phones,” Koshney said.
She still carried some, but the watch company she used closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never re-opened. So Godley’s had no watches for over a year.
The pandemic had other effects on the store as well.
Amazon and other companies, that offered everything for sale online, had an impact on the store.
The store itself had to close when the whole world locked down to prevent the spread of the COBVID-19 virus.
Godley’s was closed a month. Koshney was uncertain what would greet her when she re-opened.
“It didn’t take long,” she said.
Customers came back and she has been able to keep the doors open ever since.
“The support I’ve received is phenomenal,” Koshney said. “So many people have come in and said, ‘I just need to get one more thing from here.’”
It is the community that has supported the store, and the store has supported the community these past 111 years.
Godley’s has sponsored every sort of community sport, event and activity from curling and golf to skating, the Shop of Wonders at Christmas time, and so much more.
When her boys were playing basketball, the windows of Godley’s were adorned with clippings about the adventures of Ryan and Dan Koshney.
Yet, she finally set a date, Jan. 31, to be the last day Godley’s would be open.
“It was a busy day,” Koshney said.
Friends and family came. So did customers new and old, and they celebrated what has become an institution in Claresholm.
One of the visitors was her dad’s sister’s daughter, who came to see Koshney from out of town.
“That brought me to tears,” she said.
So what is next for Vanessa Koshney?
She has to clean the store out and wants to sell the building.
There will be some things coming with her, such as her grandfather’s bench, where he fixed watches and did his work. In fact, there is a picture of him hanging above the bench doing just that.
That picture is coming too.
So is an old safe, a big clock, and a picture of her dad.
Beyond that, Koshney plans on using her motor home with husband Shane, spending time at their place in B.C. where they summer, and hopes to travel to places such as Alaska and Nova Scotia.
She found an 88-year-old cousin on her mother’s side in North Dakota, and wants to go see her as well.
As Vanessa Koshney packs up, and moves on to the next chapter of her life, she has one final message from Godley’s Jewellery.
“Thank you so much for all the support and friendship,” she said.