The Morris Jewlery Story

Our history begins in 1881, Frank Maier, a German immigrant, opened Frank Maier Jewelry in a building that once housed a hardware store in downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky. In 1910, Frank sold the store to his son-in-law, Robert L. Morris who had been his apprentice in the business for some years. Morris remodeled the then thirty year old store and renamed it Morris Jewelry. Robert owned Morris Jewelry until 1956, when he sold the business to Bob and Lillian Kyle. Zip codes weren’t even in existence at the time! Continuing the Morris family tradition, the Kyle’s sold the store to their daughter and son-in-law, Charles and Robin Collins in 1991. The Collins’ operated the store through the 90’s and into the new millennium. Charles and Robin retired in 2006, selling the store to Michael and Sharon Barron.  Michael is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, and saw an opportunity to become a part of downtown Bowling Green with Morris Jewelry. Putting a focus on the community, Michael and Sharon worked hard to make the downtown area one full of fun and economic growth. While the Barron’s still play a role in downtown functions, they sold the store in 2013 to Jim and Samantha Steen. Jim had been managing the store for several years at the time, so Morris was already a part of his family.

Within their first year of ownership, the Steen’s launched morris1881.com to offer the amazing craftsmanship and personal service associated with Morris Jewelry to the world. Being only the fourth family to own the store in 133 years, they are proud to continue with the Morris name and reputation of quality and exceptional customer service. The legacy of Morris Jewelry is already rich with history, but we like to think that this is just the beginning of a new chapter in the ever growing tale of Morris Jewelry. We’ve been producing heirloom-quality jewelry since 1881, and we don’t have any plans on stopping.

We care about the person receiving the smile-inducing piece that comes from our store, whether it be an engagement ring, a Morris 1881 watch, or a sterling silver charm bracelet personalized just for her. We believe in making every customer part of the family; in caring about the people more than the transaction; in being your jeweler, and not just the place where you buy jewelry.