MANAYUNK

In exchange for a guarantee of stability, most small business owners would seriously consider signing away their rights to any number of coveted attachments—a car, a house, a first-born. So, Gary and Norma Mann, with 25 years beneath them as the owners of Gary Mann Jewelers, are well aware of just how good they’ve got it.

Consider how much the landscape around their store on Manayunk’s Main Street has changed over that time and you’ll begin to grasp an appreciation for that longevity from the other side of the display case. Most of their clients aren’t loyal. They’re devout believers in Gary’s ability to transform gold, platinum and gems into revelatory art. When you gift something like that and get the reaction it deserves, Christmas shopping immediately gets a whole lot simpler (and more expensive) for the rest of your life.

When he’s not in the midst of handfuls of engagement rings and designer jewelry-in-the-making, Gary favors the seclusion of his sculpture studio—he holds a sculpture degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology—where his constantly-humming creativity is drawn to the flexibility of bending shapes on a larger scale. Some of it has spilled into the store, where he sells his own line of landscape garden sculpture and fountains.

We caught the couple just before they battered down for the onslaught that is the holiday shopping season, seeking a bit of insight into the kind of people it takes to sustain a run like theirs. Chip Kelly, we know you’re reading this. —Scott Edwards


I was born in … GARY: Buffalo. NORMA: Syracuse.

I am a … GARY: tinker who tends to be fascinated with how objects are designed and constructed. NORMA: mother, wife, daughter, sister, Manayunk business owner and pioneer. Part-hippie chick, part-fashionista, part-party planner.

My mother taught me … GARY: to bake cookies. NORMA: “True friends are like diamonds—bright, beautiful, valuable and always in style.” And how to get dinner on the table in five minutes flat.

My father taught me … GARY: to keep my options open. And to be smart in business, but not at someone else’s expense. NORMA: to always ask questions.

Jewelry piqued my interest because … GARY: it all comes pretty naturally to me. I’m the tenth generation of jewelers, watchmakers, engravers and silversmiths. NORMA: it’s the ultimate adornment.

Sculpting opens my eyes to … GARY: the possibilities in design of larger forms versus small details. My large sculptures are built from aluminum and copper, which allows me to be more playful than I can be with platinum and gold.

My greatest hero is … GARY: Hans Christensen, the renowned Danish silversmith, who I was lucky enough to study with at the Rochester Institute of Technology. NORMA: my father.

I don’t tell many people that … GARY: I wish I could play guitar like Mark Knopfler and sing like Johnny Hartman. NORMA: I love watching “The Real Housewives.” Any of them, really. And that I’m perfectly positioned to be a matchmaker.

I couldn’t live without … GARY: my 27-speed hybrid bicycle. NORMA: the sustenance of evenings out with strong girlfriends, pondering the meaning of life, dissecting celebrities and People Magazine and trying to figure out kids and husbands.

The most underrated part of Manayunk is … GARY: how walkable Main Street is. NORMA: the small-town feel in a big city.

One thing Manayunk really needs is … GARY: a trendy boutique hotel overlooking the canal and our new “high line” bridge. NORMA: an indie film theater.

People tell me all the time that … GARY: our store is their favorite jewelry store. NORMA: I’m so lucky that I’m married to a jeweler. I can wear whatever I want, right? Yes. And it is a great perk.

My drink of choice is … GARY: a dirty martini. NORMA: an extra-dirty martini, with plenty of blue cheese-stuffed olives.

The best book I ever read was … GARY: Sophie’s Choice.

The last movie I saw was … GARY: Gravity. NORMA: Enough Said.

The achievement I’m most proud of … GARY: is being the father of two smart, open-minded, creative kids who aren’t afraid to work hard. NORMA: is the whole of my life: my marriage, my kids and my business.

If I could design a piece for one person, living or dead, it would be … GARY: Elizabeth Taylor. Or Bruce Springsteen. NORMA: Gwen Stefani.

Every day, without fail, I … GARY: think about how lucky I am. NORMA: make to-do lists.

One thing I would change about myself is … GARY: I would find more time to spend in my sculpture studio, just creating what feels right. NORMA: to slow down and enjoy moments while they’re happening.

The best piece of advice I ever received was … GARY: to always consider the other person’s perspective. NORMA: “Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”

The part of my job I like the least … GARY: is having to tell a customer that I can’t create a custom piece by the end of the day—which usually happens on Christmas Eve. NORMA: is the paperwork.

My greatest unfulfilled ambition … GARY: is backpacking through the Italian Alps. NORMA: is to travel the world.

I want to be remembered as … GARY: a nice guy who was talented at what he did. And who knew when a story ran too long and a joke crossed the line. And, of course, as the husband who delivered the perfect present to his wife every time. NORMA: a passionate business owner with integrity. And as a wife and mom who helped create good memories for her family.