Marvin & Sons shutting doors after 58 years in business

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After 57 years in business in the Five Towns, Marvin & Sons Fine Jewelry Watches and Gifts is closing its doors. The store is liquidating merchandise with special sales before the doors close for the last time on Saturday, July 8. "It's somewhat sad to leave everyone," said Katz. "So many good friends, so many wonderful relationships, finding that right piece of jewelry for that special occasion."
The store, which was founded by Marvin Zuckerman in the late 1940s, has been run by three generations of the family, with some members of the family staying with the successful business for nearly 50 years. The store has specialized in jewelry, watches and other assorted gifts. In February 2003 Marvin & Sons opened
a new location on Merrick Road in Merrick and a year later opened a store at Woodbury Town Plaza on the North Shore. The Woodbury and Merrick stores have already closed.
"It's one of the saddest days for me, for them to leave this village," said Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise. "To me as mayor of Cedarhurst, it's just devastating."
Marvin & Sons received national attention in late 2003 just after the store celebrated its 55th anniversary, when Zuckerman designed a gingerbread house with fine gems and designer jewelry from the store in a segment that appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America." Mayor Parise said what was so special about Marvin & Sons was the way the family gave back to the community in addition to being solid merchants.
Parise said he will be forever grateful for the way Zuckerman, who is Jewish, helped orchestrate the St. Joachim R.C. Church Diamond Ball in the late 1980s when the Cedarhurst parish was struggling. The fund-raiser has now become an annual event at Lawrence Village Country Club and has helped keep the church a vibrant part of the village, according to Parise.
"They always gave back to the community," said Parise of the Zuckermans. "The whole family has always been so good to everyone in the community."
"When I first came to work at the Herald," publisher Cliff Richner recalls, "Marvin Zuckerman was a leader in the business community. One day while working on an event for Community Chest, Marvin shared his philosophy of supporting community groups: 'I support everyone,' he told me, and he did. Jewish groups, Catholic groups, Community Chest, whatever the cause, they knew they could count on Marvin for a raffle prize or a donation. He built his business that way. He said he always got back more than he gave, because when it came time to shop people remembered that he had been there for them. It's a lesson I took to heart and it's reflected in the way my brother and I run our own business. Thanks Marvin," Richner said. "I wish the Zukerman and Young families all the best and thank them for being good friends, customers and business associates."
Another way Zuckerman contributed to the village was by becoming a founding chairman of the Cedarhurst Business Association, now the Cedarhurst Business Improvement District (BID).
"They were a great asset to the village for many years," said Cedarhurst BID Chairman Steven Schneider. "Not only was [Zuckerman] a great merchant but he contributed to the village itself."
In addition to Zuckerman, the store has been run by other family members, including son-in-law Robert Young and daughters Nancy and Jamie Zuckerman. Young said the family was advised by its attorneys not to comment until the store is officially closed.
Katz said she will be forever grateful to the Zuckerman and Young families for the way they treated her, and to Judi Kohl who hired her to work for Marvin & Sons nearly 25 years ago.
"For the moment it will be good-bye to all of my wonderful customers, my friends, my associates for making this period of my life so memorable," said Katz. "Perhaps we will be able to continue in the near future."
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