Flaherty Jewelers moves to new Arlington Hts. location

After 68 years, Flaherty Jewelers has moved from its Dunton Street store to 22 S. Evergreen Ave., about a block away in downtown Arlington Heights.

The retailer's move was announced in January and it took place in March. But it was kept under wraps due to security, said owner and manager Katie Flaherty, the granddaughter of the founders.

"We were moving about $1 million worth of jewelry and three safes down Dunton, so we didn't publicize it due to security reasons," she said Tuesday.

The jeweler, which had been in business since 1947, was actually at the same site on Dunton as a previous jewelry business dating back to 1910. So many of the display cases are more than 100 years old also were moved to the new location, which provides a comparable amount of space, she said.

Flaherty Jewelers, which designs, sells and repairs jewelry, was founded in 1947 by Jack and Dorothy Flaherty. They operated the store until Jack was diagnosed with cancer and eventually passed away. Then Mike and Sharon Flaherty took over. Now, the third generation, Katie, is managing the business.

In 2002, Mike and Sharon were honored with the Business Leader Heart of Gold Award. Katie has been part of the Economic Alliance of Arlington Heights, a coordinator for the Frontier Days Festival and on the board of directors for the Downtown Business Association.

"They have been a longtime business in downtown Arlington Heights and they have a very loyal customer base," said Charles Witherington-Perkins, director of planning and community development in Arlington Heights. "So we are pleased to see that they will remain in the downtown area."

The building that once housed Flaherty Jewelers on Dunton is now for sale and the former retail space is for lease. The village did not provide any incentives for Flaherty's move, he said.