A Gem Of A Family

STEPPING INTO KOMARA JEWELERS’ Cornersburg shop is like waking up to a sunny day. The bright, expansive showroom rivals the encased treasures for brilliance and beauty. But most importantly, you are met with a warm welcome and exacting expertise— three generations’ worth, in fact.

“You know, your dad's your hero, so I always wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Brianna Komara Pridon states regarding her father, jeweler Bob Komara. “He got me involved in the business right from the start. When I was eight, on Saturdays, he would set up a used jewelry table outside the shop and I would stand there selling knickknacks and stuff for a quarter, maybe fifty cents. All my life, I never, ever thought about doing anything else.” Today, Brianna and her brother Rob Komara are Komara Jewelers co-owners.

Their father Bob, who started the Cornersburg store and nowadays advises from sunny Florida, is pleased with the passing of the baton. As he has it, “You’ll find that Brianna and Rob are both very courteous, very respectful to whoever comes in the store, and that is so important.”

A Shop Grows in Struthers

The original Komara Jewelers store was begun by Brianna and Rob’s grandfather Stephen, who emigrated here from Czechoslovakia at age 12. “My grandfather was very artsy, a great painter,” Brianna states. “He loved working with his hands, but was severely wounded in the Second World War, receiving two Purple Hearts, and couldn’t do mill work. So in 1948 he opened up a little hobby shop in Struthers, doing engravings, and soon after that began selling jewelry.”

Fast-forward to 1977, and with his father Stephen’s blessing, son Bob opened Komara Jewelers in Cornersburg, moving to their current Coal Creek Plaza location in 1993.

“Our dad is very personable and really thrived in selling. Working with him, all through high school and summer break, was a class on how to relate to customers and establish a relationship,” Brianna recalls.

Learning the business at their father’s side from their youth, Brianna and Rob, both graduates from the renowned Carlsbad, California Gemology Institute of America (she a GIA Graduate Gemologist, he a GIA Graduate in Jewelry Design, in Diamonds, and GIA Graduate Jeweler), took over the reins of the store gradually. “Dad’s has been a slow retirement, but it actually was completely official just last year,” says Brianna. “He works now as a consultant when we need him, and he’s pleased to help us.”

Their Expertise Shines

No matter what you stop by for, be it wedding bands, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, chains, watches, you can be assured that the sales team led by Rob Komara will lead you in the right direction. “Our strength lies in our dedicated staff, whose courtesy, expertise, and service set us apart. With nearly 200 years of combined experience, we take great pride in offering exceptional customer satisfaction and a vast selection of unique jewelry pieces that cater to every taste,” Rob states.

Komara’s repair and service department is deservedly renowned throughout the region. This team of craftsmen - Greg Sorley, Tom Metzler, Judd Gaylord - bent over their workbenches in their snug studio, is the very picture of expertise honed over decades. Their forte? Replacing stones, sizing rings, repairing bracelets, necklaces, watches, anything. “There's 100 years of experience there, in our repair shop,” Bob Komara states. “And it’s just three guys. All experts.”
 

Jewelry appraiser Rick Younkin commands a corner of the showroom, assigning the monetary value of each piece put before him, whether for insurance or sales purposes. Laid out in front of him is the Estate Case, where lovingly-and-previously-owned pieces of jewelry of all kinds, designs, and sizes await a new owner. They usually don’t wait long—the Estate Case at Komara is a popular destination for jewelry connoisseurs of all stripes.

Farmers Builds Wealth by Design

“We were with another bank before, but there was really no one to talk to if we had a problem,” Brianna states. “There wasn’t even a location nearby. So, right after Covid, we transferred everything to Farmers, and there’s been a world of difference.” 

Farmers agrees. “The Komara family is a great example of Farmers’ Private Banking clients because most of their time is spent on day-to-day company management, and it helps to have a direct point-of-contact to help with banking needs,” says Amber Richards, Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager, Private Banking. “I meet at their store to review accounts and provide any paperwork that needs signed. They are wonderful clients to work with and they do a lot to give back to the community.”

John Stewart, Sr. Vice President & Chief Investment Officer at Farmers Trust Company, oversees wealth management with the Komara family. “I’ve known the Komaras for well over 20 years, in fact, I bought my wife’s engagement ring from them 20 years ago,” Stewart states. “I’ve worked with the family professionally for several years now, managing some assets for the jewelry store.

They are terrific people, good friends, and always a pleasure to work with.” The Komara family appreciates the Farmers relationship. “We just always have someone that will talk to us and walk us through things and figure it out, and they’re so friendly and so accommodating,” Brianna states.

Trust

As trays of sparkling bijoux are whisked off to the kind of vault a bank would envy, another rewarding day comes to a close for the owners and staff of Komara Jewelers. Important events have transpired here today—a thrilled young couple has selected their wedding
bands; a jewelry collector rejoiced over discovering a treasure in the Estate Case; a customer marveled at an expertly-restored
family heirloom.

Rob Komara sums up three generations’ worth of family ethos: “As he learned it, our father always instilled in us that, as jewelers, we are dealing with a lot of very precious, sentimental things belonging to other people, and that trust is a huge aspect of our industry. That is one thing we will never compromise. At all.”