When Edmund T. Ahee, Sr. at age 26,opened his first jewelry store in 1947 in the lobby of his uncle’s bowling alley on Harper and Van Dyke in Detroit, he would never have imagined that one day his business would be named America’s Best Jewelers by National Jewelers and the Wall Street Journal.
“In the early years, Edmund carried a variety of merchandise and not just jewelry. In fact, in his second year of business, he won an award for selling more Hoover vacuum cleaners than the J.L. Hudsons Department store” exclaimed his wife, Bettejean. As his business grew, Ahee opened a store front in Detroit and later on to his Landmark store in Grosse Pointe Woods.

Edmund and Bettejean had seven children and they all joined the family business. Today, fifteen Ahee family members spanning three generations are all together at their jewelry store. Bettejean added “They each have their own areas of expertise to complement each others strengths and a great interest in the brand and the jewelry business and have followed Edmund, my late husband’s passion.”

“We were truly excited to win this award” said John Ahee, Edmund and Bettejean’s son. There are a total of 27 jewelers that received this honor out of 56,000 independent retailers in the country … and only seven jewelers nationwide that have received this award two times as Ahee’s have.

The Ahee family have received many important awards over the years. Ahee’s daughter Pamela Ahee-Thomas leads their design team and has won numerous honors including first place in the coveted International Platinum Design Guild Award for her platinum entry. Grosse Pointe Woods designated their jewelry store as the first Landmark Award in its city. They have been named as Michigan’s Retailer of the Year and ‘Best Watch and Jewelry store’ by America Online.

‘From the day my Father started in business, he was always in it for the long run. He insisted on giving each of his clients more than they expected’ said Peter Ahee, the stores president. ‘We were all so fortunate to have learned the business from my father. My siblings and I all started to work for our family business at a very young age and were taught so thoroughly by my Father’ said brother Chris.

Greg Ahee added ‘My Father was always philanthropically involved. He believed in helping others in his community. In 1981, he asked us to start a fundraiser for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen to raise awareness and greatly needed funds. We have continued his request and have raised over $5 million for the Capuchin’s to date’.

Bettejean added “Edmund truly appreciated all of the blessings that he received. It is my hope that we can continue his legacy for generations to come’.