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Lynchburg, VA--Bowen Jewelry Company is closing its doors after 90 years. Third generation Brian “Biff” Bowen Jr. is retiring and store is holding a liquidation sale with up to 70% off all merchandise.

Charles Wesley Bowen Jr. opened Bowen Jewelry Company in 1933. He was a watchmaker, goldsmith and hand-engraver, and became one of Lynchburg’s most skilled jewelers. In 1946, his son, Brian H. M. Bowen returned from World War II as a decorated hero and began working alongside his father. 

The father-and-son team worked to make the Bowen name synonymous with integrity, honesty and community—a legacy that endures to this day. The store made history well beyond Central Virginia when the Hope Diamond was displayed in Bowen’s in 1956. Brian Bowen arranged a stop when the diamond was on its way to the Smithsonian. People lined up around the block to see the local women model the famous 45.52-carat blue diamond. 

Current owner Biff Bowen, a University of Montana graduate where he studied geology, returned to Lynchburg in 1988 to work with his father. Within a few years, Biff became a Certified Gemologist Appraiser and began buying, appraising and designing jewelry, and has been an enthusiastic community member ever since. 

Over the years, the store has been closely involved in the community, through support for the fine arts and contributions to many local nonprofits, including breast cancer awareness efforts, the Children’s Museum, the Miss Virginia Pageant, the local food bank, and more. 

“I’m just so grateful for the friendships, loyalty and trust that our customers have given us for the last 90 years,” Biff Bowen said. “My father once told me that our family never got rich off the jewelry business, but we’ve been rich in friends, and that’s even better.” Biff plans to stay active in the community in his retirement.