The Regina Rowe story

The Rowe family has a long history in the jewellery trade, stretching back as far as 1690 and has popped up in various locations around the country. The current Torquay story starts shortly after the end of World War II…

1947

Gordon Rowe and his wife Kathleen move down to Torquay from Shropshire with their young family after the end of WWII and establish Gordon Rowe Jewellers in Torre.
1956
Gordon and Kathleen relocate their shop to 111 Union Street where it remained for 60 years.

1956
1971

David Rowe enters the trade as a 17-year-old when Gordon falls ill. He abandons his plans to start an apprenticeship at a well-known department store to help out the family business, and never looks back! David completes a Goldsmithing course and fully embraces the trade.
1976
After meeting his future wife Regina as a teenager, who was a visiting language student from Germany, the couple marry and Regina moves permanently to Torquay. Regina is immediately brought into the business to help on the bookkeeping side of things. She too enjoys the trade and embarks on her FGA qualification despite still grappling with learning the English language.

1976
1986

David and Regina see the potential that lies in Gordon Rowe as a fine jewellery store and, after buying out David’s parents, they embark upon an expansion of the interior of the shop and set about lifting the quality of the stock being sold. With a young family of their own, and soaring interest rates, this is a tough time for them, but their vision pays off, and Gordon Rowe builds its reputation as being a high-quality business offering beautiful jewellery with exceptional and knowledgeable service.
1995
David and Regina are presented with the opportunity to purchase Conroy Couch Jewellers – a second hand jewellery store located directly across the road from Gordon Rowe. They snap this up and are catapulted into the fascinating world of second-hand jewellery.

1995
2008

The jewellery market continues to shift with the times, and a big new player enters the game… Pandora. David and Regina snap up the chance to stock Pandora in store at Gordon Rowe.
2014
The local and nationwide popularity of Pandora Jewellery enables David and Regina to open up a franchise store in Torquay in late 2014.

2014
2016

As David and Regina start to approach retirement age, and with no immediate prospect of either of their daughters entering the trade, they make the tough decision to close down Gordon Rowe. It is an immensely difficult and heart wrenching decision given the years that they had spent cultivating the growth and success of the business.
2019
Tragically, Regina is diagnosed with terminal cancer and passes away a few weeks later in April 2019. David and Regina’s daughter, Michelle, steps in to assist as administrator and bookkeeper so that that the businesses are able to continue to operate during this difficult time. Michelle and David find that they make a great team and decide to keep their partnership going into the longer-term future.

2019
2024

As the Pandora Franchise comes to end, Michelle and David decide to expand the Conroy Couch business, and establish a new sister store. Their vision is to provide high quality, fine jewellery with a shopping experience that is unique for every customer who comes through their doors. The name? It had to be Regina Rowe Jewellers.