125 Years in the Making
When you step into Hauser’s Jewelers today, all sleek cases and modern sparkle, it’s hard to imagine the long road that led here. Our store has a history as rich as a vintage treasure chest – one that spans 125 years, five generations, and countless transformations.
We often have customers ask about the old black-and-white photos on our wall, or comment on how different the shop feels since they last visited years ago. So, let’s take a little journey together through time, exploring how Hauser’s has changed and renovated over the decades to become the jewel box you know and love today.
From Humble Beginnings (1898)
Our story starts in 1898 in downtown Newport News, Virginia. Alfred Jacob Hauser, Sr., a skilled watchmaker recently arrived from France, opened a tiny watch repair shop that would lay the foundation for Hauser’s Jewelers.
Picture a small storefront with a hand-painted sign, pocket watches ticking inside glass displays, and Alfred himself meticulously fixing railroad watches by lamplight.
In those days, jewelry stores were often family affairs attached to workshops, and Alfred’s craftsmanship quickly earned him a reputation. Little did he know, he was starting a legacy that would endure into the 21st century.
Growing, Moving, and Embracing Jewelry
Fast forward to the mid-20th century. By 1957, Alfred’s son (also named Alfred, but we call him Alfred Jr. or “Jake’s son” in the records) opened Hauser’s Fine Jewelry in the Hilton Village area. The focus had expanded from just watches to fine jewelry, serving the community with engagement rings, heirloom pieces, and of course, watch repairs. As the Hampton Roads area grew, so did we. The store later moved to the Hidenwood Shopping Center to be closer to our customers.
Then, in 1986, a pivotal moment: Lee Hauser (Alfred Jr.’s grandson) and his wife Vicki officially established the business as Hauser’s Jewelers, bringing a modern retail approach to our time-honored name. During this era, we spent nearly 30 years in Hampton’s Coliseum Mall area – if you lived here in the ’80s or ’90s, you might remember visiting us there. It was a time of neon fashion and big hair, and our store was evolving with the trends, introducing designer jewelry lines and catering to a new generation of customers.
The 1997 Expansion
By the late 90s, jewelry fashion was booming and so was our business. In 1997, we undertook a major store expansion and renovation. The goal? Make room for designer jewelry lines (brands that were becoming household names in fine jewelry) and create a larger, more state-of-the-art workshop for our jewelers and watchmakers. Walls were knocked down, new showcases were installed, and the workshop got some shiny new equipment. 
This was the era where we blended the old with the new – you’d find our jeweler hunched over an antique bench, but now with high-tech tools at hand.
Customers loved the new spacious layout, and we loved that we could stock more beautiful pieces (and fix anything in-house with our expanded workshop capabilities). This ’97 renovation was about growth – reflecting a period of prosperity and changing tastes. We were no longer just a local jeweler; we had become a regional destination for both classic and contemporary jewelry.
A New Generation & A New Location
The next big chapter came when the torch passed to the 5th generation. In 2014, Amy Hart (née Hauser) – the great-great-granddaughter of our founder – and her husband Brad took over the family business. With youthful energy and a deep respect for tradition, they soon decided it was time for Hauser’s to return home to Newport News and enter a new era. The store relocated to City Center at Oyster Point (our current location on Mariners Row), which was a homecoming of sorts – back to Newport News, where it all began, but in the vibrant heart of a modern city center. This move set the stage for our most dramatic renovation to date.
The 2017 Transformation: If you walk into our store today, you’re enjoying the vision that Amy brought to life in 2017. That year, Hauser’s underwent a complete redesign of the store, truly transforming it into the warm and modern boutique you see now. Think bright, open floor plans, elegant lighting that makes every diamond scintillate, and cozy seating areas so you can take your time admiring pieces. The aesthetic marries contemporary design (clean lines, chic decor) with touches of our heritage – for example, we preserved and display some antique tools and vintage photos, as a nod to where we came from.
This renovation wasn’t just cosmetic; it was philosophical. Amy wanted the store to be a “vibrant destination”, a place you’d feel comfortable hanging out while picking the perfect piece, rather than the old-fashioned behind-the-counter experience. We even added a refreshment nook (shopping for diamonds is more fun with a glass of something bubbly, don’t you think?) and private consultation areas for custom design clients. The 2017 renovation basically said: Hauser’s is stepping boldly into the future, while carrying forward the best of its past.
125 Years and Counting
In 2023, we celebrated a milestone that few businesses ever reach – 125 years in business. It was a year of reflection and celebration. We hosted monthly events, from an estate jewelry show (because our love for vintage never fades) to a pre-owned Rolex event for Father’s Day.
These events weren’t just marketing – they were a way to say thank you to our community and to share the stories that shaped us. We often found ourselves telling snippets of our history, much like this blog post, to attendees who never knew that their modern jeweler once inspected railroad pocket watches or survived the Great Depression and two world wars.
The anniversary made us realize that every renovation, every move, every new generation of ownership wasn’t just a business decision – it was part of an ongoing conversation with the community. A promise that we’re here, we’re evolving, and we’re still your jeweler through it all.
The Charm of Change
You might ask, what’s the takeaway from a story spanning over a century? For us, it’s that change can be a beautiful thing when rooted in strong tradition. Each time we’ve renovated or reinvented ourselves, it was to serve our customers better and keep the magic of jewelry shopping alive.
We’ve gone from gaslit displays to modern LED showcases, from hand-drawn ads to Instagram posts, from pocket watch repairs to cutting-edge CAD custom designs. And yet, the heart of Hauser’s remains constant: family-run service, craftsmanship, and community.
Our past informs our present – for example, our emphasis on quality harks back to Alfred’s Tiffany & Co. training in the 1870s, and our friendly approach comes from generations of treating customers like neighbors, not numbers.
Come See the Story
If you haven’t visited us in a while, consider this an invitation. Next time you’re in Newport News or Williamsburg (yes, we also opened a Williamsburg location along the way, adding another chapter!), stop by and ask us about something you see in the store. Maybe it’s an old photo on the wall, or the vintage tools decorating a shelf. There’s likely a tale there – and we love sharing them. We might show you the watchmaker’s bench that’s over 100 years old, or the design renderings from our 2017 remodel and how we agonized over picking the perfect paint color. It’s all part of the Hauser’s experience.
As we look ahead, we’re excited for the future – because one day, 2025 will be “the past” too, and who knows what amazing changes will come by then? One thing’s for sure: we’ll continue to innovate and renovate as needed, holding tight to our heritage while embracing whatever the next era of jewelry brings. Here’s to the next 125 years of sparkle, innovation, and family.
Thank you for being the central part of our story – after all, every time you let us be part of your special moments (engagements, anniversaries, “just because” surprises), you become part of Hauser’s history too.
Xoxo,
-Amy Hauser
